Risk factors and prognosis of hospital-acquired VTE in patients with sepsis

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE) in sepsis patients and the effect of VTE on the prognosis of sepsis patients. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 528 patients with sepsis who were hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology between January 2022 and September 2023 were included. Hospitalization data and 90-day survival data were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the risk factors for hospital-acquired VTE in sepsis patients. K‒M survival curves were used to analyse the prognosis of sepsis patients with and without VTE. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between the occurrence of VTE and 90-day mortality in patients with sepsis. Results According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 223 patients with sepsis were included 186 (83.4%) without VTE and 37 (16.9%) with VTE. The length of hospital stay (OR 1.509; 95% CI 1.030–1.089) and duration of mechanical ventilation (OR 3.845; 95% CI 1.297–11.585) were found to be independent risk factors for hospital-acquired VTE. K‒M survival analysis revealed a significant difference in 90-day prognosis between patients with and without VTE (p < 0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed that VTE was a risk factor for death within 90 days of sepsis onset (OR 2.221; 95% CI 1.201–4.108). Conclusion The incidence of hospital-acquired VTE was high in sepsis patients although receiving thrombosis prevention, and the occurrence of VTE affected the prognosis of sepsis patients. The identification of risk factors could contribute to monitoring and preventing VTE, which may reduce the incidence of VTE and improve the prognosis of patients with sepsis.