Does ‘heparin-induced thrombocytopenia’ hit our minds?

Unfractionated heparin is a widely used drug to prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli in patients at risk. With the advent of newer anticoagulants having lesser side effects, its use has diminished but not out of service. Here, we report a case of deep venous thrombosis, in a patient on...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Arun R. Thangavel, Shalvi Mahajan, Amarjyoti Hazarika
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2016-08-01
Series:Journal of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Care
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/2348-0548.190071
Description
Summary:Unfractionated heparin is a widely used drug to prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli in patients at risk. With the advent of newer anticoagulants having lesser side effects, its use has diminished but not out of service. Here, we report a case of deep venous thrombosis, in a patient on prophylactic dose of heparin, which was later found to be a manifestation of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Thrombosis in the presence of heparin prophylaxis should be considered as HIT rather than a failure of anticoagulation.
ISSN:2348-0548
2348-926X