Therapeutic inefficacy of protocol driven intravenous unfractionated heparin infusion in the current era

Abstract

Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is commonly used for several life-threatening conditions requiring anticoagulant therapy but failure to reach therapeutic levels in 24 h can be associated with adverse outcomes. Use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) may provide an alternative while providing superior outcomes as compared to UFH. We studied 100 patients who underwent UFH therapy for >24 h and found that theoretically 80 % were eligible for LMWH therapy. Only 29 % and 40 % of the total aPTT draws were in the therapeutic window within the first 24 h and at 25–48 h respectively. This study reports that a vast majority of patients remain outside of therapeutic aPTT within first 24–48 h when anticoagulated with UFH. With high eligibility for LMWH therapy, its substitution can potentially lead to better patient outcomes, higher levels of therapeutic efficacy, and decrease in hospital resources.

Keywords

• Unfractionated heparin
• Anticoagulation
• Low molecular weight heparin