Do admission glucose levels independently predict coagulopathy in multiple trauma patients? A retrospective cohort analysis

Coagulopathy is prevalent in multiple trauma patients and worsens bleeding complications, leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Hyperglycemia upon admission predicts hemorrhagic shock and mortality in severely injured patients. This study aimed to assess admission glucose levels as an independent prognostic factor for coagulopathy in multiply injured patients.

This retrospective cohort study observed multiple trauma patients treated at a level I trauma center between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2020. Coagulopathy was defined as an international normalized ratio (INR) > 1.4 and/or activated thromboplastin time (APTT) > 40 s. Analysis of variance compared clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with and without coagulopathy. Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified risk factors associated with coagulopathy.

The study included 913 patients, of whom 188 (20%) had coagulopathy at admission. Coagulopathy patients had higher mortality than those without (26% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.001). Mean glucose level in coagulopathy patients was 10.09 mmol/L, significantly higher than 7.97 mmol/L in non-coagulopathy patients (p < 0.001). Admission glucose showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.64 (95% CI [0.59–0.69], p < 0.001) with an optimal cut-off point of 12.35 mmol/L. After adjusting for other factors, patients with high admission glucose had a 1.99-fold risk of developing coagulopathy (95% CI 1.07–3.60). Other laboratory parameters associated with coagulopathy included haemoglobin, bicarbonate (HCO3), and lactate levels.

This study emphasizes the significance of admission blood glucose as an independent predictor of coagulopathy. Monitoring hyperglycemia can aid in identifying high-risk patients.