Intraoperative Systemic Heparin is Safe for Treatment of Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury with Concomitant Traumatic Brain Injury

Grading blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAI) is a key determinant for reporting and treatment of this condition, but provides no guidance for the safety of intraoperative heparin for patients with concurrent traumatic brain injury (TBI). We sought to compare the impact of intraoperative systemic heparinization on outcomes after thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) for patients with TBI. We also compared University of Washington (UW) and Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) grading systems.