Each year, 25% of all hospitalized patients are affected by venous thromboembolism, a disease comprising deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, that is responsible for up to 10% of all inpatient deaths (Alikhan, Peters, Wilmott, Cohen, 2004). Used in both the treatment and the prevention of venous thromboembolism, heparin is administered to more than 12 million patients each year in the U...

The periprocedural management of patients receiving chronic therapy with oral anticoagulants (OACs), including vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) such as warfarin and direct OACs (DOACs), is a common clinical problem. The optimal perioperative management of patients receiving chronic OAC therapy is anchored on four key principles: (i) risk stratification of patient-related and procedure-related risks...

1 Amirkhosravi A, Mousa SA, Amaya M, et al. Antimetastatic effect of tinzaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin. J Thromb Haemost 2003; 1:1972–1976 2 Mousa SA, Mohamed S. Antiangiogenic mechanisms and efficacy of the low molecular weight heparin, tinzaparin: anti-cancer efficacy. Oncol Rep 2004; 12:683–688 3 Von Tempelhoff GF, Harenberg J, Nieman F, et al. Effect of low-molecular weight heparin...

Unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been in clinical use for more than half a century. Despite its undoubted contribution to the treatment and prevention of thrombosis, heparin is significantly limited by its variable biochemical composition and unpredictable pharmacokinetics. The situation is compounded by the fact that methods for monitoring heparin do not necessarily reflect its therapeutic eff...

right-sided heart thrombus is a life-threatening condition that necessitates immediate therapy. detection of right-sided heart thrombus is usually via transthoracic echocardiography. generally, thrombolysis is considered a treatment of choice, but there is currently no consensus about the optimal therapeutic choice. we present a case of multiple right atrial thrombi with concurrent mobile and b...

BACKGROUND Antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and antithrombotic therapy with heparin both prevent the complications of unstable angina; however, no definitive data exist on the relative clinical efficacy of the two drugs. METHODS AND RESULTS Aspirin (325 mg bid) or heparin (5000-U intravenous bolus followed by a perfusion titrated to the APTT) were compared in a double-blind randomized trial ...

BACKGROUND The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) is used to adjust heparin sodium dosage. However, warfarin sodium is often administered concomitantly with heparin and may also affect the APTT and, therefore, heparin dose. We performed a prospective cohort study to quantify the effect of warfarin on the APTT in patients who are being treated with heparin. METHODS Serial assays of A...

clinicians should be aware of new developments to familiarize themselves with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of new anticoagulant agents to appropriately and safely use them. for the moment, cardiologists and other clinicians also require to master currently available drugs, realizing the mechanism of action, side effects, and laboratory monitoring to measure their anticoag...

AIMS OF THE STUDY Viper bites produce hematotoxicity and coagulopathy which may be either true disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) or DIC-like syndrome. Role of heparin is studied in the present study of viper bite cases as use of heparin provides a rational therapy for defibrination caused by viper envenomation. METHODOLOGY One hundred and twenty two patients with viper bite and inc...

By J. F. MUSTARD AND EDMOND A. MURPHY T HE EFFECT OF HEPARIN on the physiology of platelets in vitro has been extensively studied. We share the misgivings of O’Brien1 that results of in vitro studies on coagulation cannot uncritically be applied to effects in vivo. Previous studies in vitro and in extracorporeal circulations2-5 showed that heparin decreases platelet adhesiveness and inhibits th...