Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Incidence and Clinical Feature, Retrospective Study

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to find the incidence and clinical features of Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) in acute coronary syndrome patients treated with unfractionated heparin. METHODS: The medical records of 554 patients treated with unfractionated heparin (UFH) for their coronary artery diseases at the Gachon Medical School Gil Heart Center during 2002~2003. were retrospectively reviewed. The gourp eligible group inclusion in this study was comprised of 338 patients with acute coronary syndrome. RESULTS: The median duration of UFH administration was 6 days, ranging from 1 to 22 days. Among the eligible patients, 40 (11.8%) received UFH for > 96 hours, and developed thrombocytopenia, which involved a platelet count decrease to less than 100,000 per cubic millimeter or a 50% or greater decrease in the platelet count. CONCLUSION: Despith the limitations of retrospective analyses, the present study shows that thrombocytopenia is relatively common in acute coronary syndrome patients treated with UFH, but did not account for HIT associated complication, such as thrombosis. When clinicians recognize the development of HIT without a thrombocytopenia related disease, many will stop the use of heparin for its management.