Continuous heparin infusion requirements. Diagnostic and therapeutic implications

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The relation between hourly heparin sodium requirements and the presence or absence of thromboembolic disease (TED) was investigated. Patients (12) with verified TED required 1696 .+-. 394 units/h (mean .+-. SD) and 9 patients without disease required 1033 .+-. 343 units/h of continuous heparin sodium to attain a target-activated partial thromboplastin time. The requirements in relation to body weight were 25 .+-. 4 units/kg per h for the 12 with verified TED and 15 .+-. 3 units/kg per h for the 9 without disease. Apparently heparin requirements are related to the presence or absence of TED and are diagnostically important; large requirements coincide with active TED and lesser requirements suggest absence of a thromboembolic process.