Immune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a rare complication of heparin administration. We describe a patient with a previous diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and related contraindications to anticoagulation who underwent urgent off-pump myocardial revascularization with the administration of only antiaggregant therapy.

Results: Of 200 patients with high-probability lung scan findings at study entry, none of the 97 who received lowmolecular-weight heparin had new episodes of venous thromboembolism compared with 7 (6.8%) of 103 patients who received intravenous heparin (95% confidence interval for the difference, 1.9%-11.7%; P = .01). Major bleeding associated with initial therapy occurred in 1 patient (1.0%) w...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors (ErbB) and EGF family members represent promising targets for cancer therapy. Heparin-binding EGF (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF family and is an important target for therapy in some types of human cancers. Processing of HB-EGF by proprotein convertases, and successively, by ADAM family proteases, generates a soluble growth factor that requires heparin a...

This chapter about the recognition, treatment, and prevention of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is part of the Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (8th Edition). Grade 1 recommendations are strong and indicate that the benefits do, or do not, outweigh risks, burden, and costs. Grade 2 suggests that ind...

The Thrombotic Process and Its Complications Thrombi are composed of fibrin and blood cells and may form in any part of the cardiovascular system, including the veins, arteries, heart, and microcirculation. Because the relative proportions of cells and fibrin depend on hemodynamic factors, they differ in arterial and venous thrombi.12 Arterial thrombi form under conditions of high flow and are ...

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is an immune-mediated serious adverse effect of heparin therapy. It is a relatively frequent complication among patients with mechanical circulatory support. Herein, we present a patient with severe heart failure and sepsis who developed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia shortly after implantation of left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplantation a...

Despite the lack of evidence of its efficacy, heparin therapy has been recommended for selected patients with ischemic stroke syndromes. However, heparin has procoagulant effects on platelet function and a propensity to produce serious side effects. When these factors are considered, heparin loses its appeal as a therapeutic agent for patients with acute focal cerebral ischemia.

Heparin is widely used in current practice for a variety of indications. It is well known that it can cause thrombocytopenia, but not that thrombosis may also develop in thrombocytopenic patients and cause significant morbidity and mortality. A 56-year-old woman developed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia with thrombosis that resulted in the amputation of her leg. It is proposed that the reactio...

Background—Unfractionated heparin has been the primary anticoagulant therapy for percutaneous coronary intervention for .20 years. Despite the availability of rapid “point of care” testing, little clinical data defining the optimal level of anticoagulation are available. Furthermore, recent reports have advocated the use of low-dose heparin regimens in the absence of large-scale, well-conducted...

BACKGROUND Unfractionated heparin has been the primary anticoagulant therapy for percutaneous coronary intervention for >20 years. Despite the availability of rapid "point of care" testing, little clinical data defining the optimal level of anticoagulation are available. Furthermore, recent reports have advocated the use of low-dose heparin regimens in the absence of large-scale, well-conducted...