Utilization of the Caprini score in conjunction with thrombodynamic testing reduces the number of unpredicted postoperative venous thromboembolism events in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: The thrombodynamic test (TD) is a novel global test of hemostasis that allows to study the spatial-temporal characteristics of a clot formation in real time under conditions close to natural ones and demonstrates high sensitivity to detect the state of hypercoagulation. The main paraments of the test are the velocity of clot growth, clot's size, and clot density. The objective of this study was to compare the classic Caprini 2005 score and its modified version in association with the results of TD. The goal is to predict postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) in surgical patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

Methods: This was a prospective observational clinical study involving 80 patients (33 men and 47 women; mean age, 73.9 ± 7.2 years) who underwent major (79 cases) or minor (1 case) surgery for colorectal cancer. Patients were at high risk for postoperative VTE (ie, a mean Caprini score of 9.9 ± 2.0) and received combined prophylaxis (ie, antiembolic compression stockings and enoxaparin 40 mg once daily) until discharge. Enoxaparin was administered at a fixed time of blood sampling for the TD test. Duplex ultrasound scan was performed to detect postoperative vein thrombosis before and 5 to 7 days after surgery.

Results: Postoperative vein thrombosis was found in 21 of 80 patients (26.3%; 95% confidence interval, 17.9%-36.8%). Regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that Caprini scores significantly predicted VTE (P < .0001; area under the curve [AUC] = 0.839 ± 0.045). Analysis of ROC curve coordinates showed that a cutoff point of 11 scores had a sensitivity of 76.2% and a specificity of 74.6%. The results of the TD test showed significant hypercoagulation despite enoxaparin administration in patients with VTE. Regression analysis and ROC curves demonstrated that the following TD parameters had the greatest predictability for postoperative DVT: initial velocity of clot growth (Vin) and clot size (CS) measured at 12 hours after enoxaparin administration (AUC, 0.697 ± 0.063 and AUC, 0.790 ± 0.059, respectively), as well as Vin and CS measured 24 hours after the enoxaparin injection (S = 0.847 ± 0.059 and S = 0.803 ± 0.069, respectively). The cutoff points for VTE prediction at 12 and 24 hours seemed to be a Vin of greater than 62.5 and greater than 64.5 μm/minute (normal range, 35-56 μm/minute) as well as a CS of greater than 1351.5 and greater than 1333.5 μm (normal range, 800-1200 μm), respectively. Identified thresholds for TD parameters have been integrated into Caprini scores under the item "other congenital or acquired thrombophilia." The total Caprini scores were recalculated in patients where one or all TD parameters had exceeded the cutoff followed by reanalysis of the ROC curves. The best predictability was found for Caprini scores considering the elevation of all four TD parameters (AUC, 0.924 ± 0.029) with increased cutoff to a score of 12 with a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 81.4%. The use of cutoffs for the original and modified scores could be used to calculate the number of patients that were under cutoff but developed with VTE: 10.2% and 5.9%, respectively.

Conclusions: Integrating TD parameters into the Caprini score increases the ability to predict postoperative VTE.