Thrombocytopenia in critically ill trauma patients is associated with the pattern and duration of postinjury organ dysfunction.

BACKGROUND

Although significant thrombocytopenia is not a common feature of trauma patients in the first hours after injury, little is known about how severe trauma affects platelet count trajectories beyond the initial resuscitation phase and whether changes in platelet count are related to clinical outcomes such as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and mortality.

OBJECTIVES

To define the incidence, severity, and clinical significance of postinjury thrombocytopenia during critical care admission.

METHODS

Trauma patients enrolled in a perpetual cohort study at a single level 1 trauma center between 2014 and 2023 who required critical care admission were included. Thrombocytopenia was classified as mild (100-149 × 10/L), moderate (50-99 × 10/L), and severe (<50 × 10/L). Multivariable regression analyses were used to investigate the drivers of thrombocytopenia and its association with outcomes of organ dysfunction, organ support, and mortality.

RESULTS

Among 803 trauma patients investigated, mild, moderate, and severe thrombocytopenia occurred in 285 (35%), 290 (36%), and 51 (6%), respectively, with the nadir mostly between 48 and 72 hours of their critical care stay. Age, injury severity, shock, admission coagulopathy, and total fluid administration within the first 24 hours were all independently associated with the development of moderate-severe thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia of any severity was independently associated with renal and hepatic dysfunction, but not with cardiorespiratory dysfunction or mortality. Severe thrombocytopenia was also independently associated with prolonged need for organ support (odds ratio, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.07-7.45; = .04).

CONCLUSION

Thrombocytopenia is common in injured patients admitted to critical care, and severe forms are independently associated with a higher incidence of organ dysfunction and need for organ support.