The incidence and effect of coagulopathy on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing craniotomy following traumatic brain injury

Abstract Background: Coagulopathy in isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI) is well-known, and studies have found an association between coagulopathy and unfavourable outcomes. This study was conducted to determine the incidence and causes of coagulopathy in patients with TBI undergoing craniotomy and its effect on post-operative outcome. Materials and Methods: The data collected was demographics, computed tomography diagnosis, post-resuscitation Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, pre- and post-operative platelet count, liver function tests, intraoperative blood loss and transfusion, fluids infused and incidence of redo surgery. Point of care (Coaguchek XS) monitor was used to obtain prothrombin time and international normalised ratio (INR) at 24 h and 72 h of injury. Coagulopathy was defined as INR ≥1.3 and thrombocytopenia as platelet count ≤100,000/mcL. Outcome measures assessed were the length of hospital stay, GCS at discharge and in-hospital mortality. Results: In 166 patients, the average pre-operative GCS was 8.8 ± 3.6. The incidence of coagulopathy was 42.8% and increased to 55.6% on the 3 rd day, and thrombocytopenia from 3.5% in the first 24 h increased to 14.7% at 72 h. Patients with coagulopathy had lower pre-operative admission GCS (median 7 vs. 9, P = 0.03), greater intraoperative blood loss and received more intravenous fluids. There was no difference in the incidence of post-operative haematomas, length of hospital stay and GCS at discharge or mortality. Conclusion: In patients with TBI, the incidence of coagulopathy increased at the end of 72 h. In this study, there was no difference in outcomes in patients who underwent craniotomy with deranged coagulation.