A comparative analysis of three risk assessment scales for predicting venous thromboembolism in traumatic brain injury patients

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study aimed to assess the predictive ability of the Caprini score, Risk Assessment Profile for Thromboembolism (RAPT), and Trauma Embolic Scoring System(TESS) for VTE risk assessments in TBI patients. A retrospective analysis of 460 TBI patients was conducted, categorizing them into VTE and non-VTE groups based on imaging results. The three scales were applied to assess VTE risk, and their performance was compared using receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves and area under the curve(AUC) values. The VTE incidence was 31.7%. The RAPT scale demonstrated the highest AUC (0.826) and optimal cutoff (9.5) with balanced sensitivity (0.753) and specificity (0.771). The Caprini and TESS scales also showed moderate to high predictive value but had lower AUCs. All three scoring scales showed medium to high predictive value for the risk of VTE in patients with TBI. Among them, the RAPT scoring scale offered the highest predictive value for VTE risk in TBI patients, with fewer items, making it easier for clinical implementation. It stands as the most appropriate VTE risk assessment scale for TBI patients at present.