What is used to treat thrombosis?

Answer 1

Heparin is a strong, fast-acting anticoagulant (blood thinner). It is usually given in the hospital by IV (a small needle inserted in a vein), but it can also be given by an injection under the skin. IV heparin works rapidly; within minutes of receiving it, most patients have excellent anticoagulation that will prevent further clotting. However, patients who get heparin must be monitored every day with a blood test to see if the correct dose is being given. The doctor will adjust the dose of heparin according to the blood test results. Because heparin levels often change in patients, the doctor must check levels frequently. The name of the blood test used to check a patient's heparin level is the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT).

For patients who have a new clot, heparin is usually given with another anticoagulant, warfarin (Coumadin®). Warfarin is a pill that patients can take at home for long term anticoagulation. Because it can take 5-7 days (or longer) for the warfarin to take effect, patients will initially take both drugs. Once the warfarin is fully active, the heparin is stopped and the patient can go home from the hospital.

The advantages of heparin are its low cost and fast action (blood can be anticoagulated quickly). The disadvantages of heparin include the need for frequent blood tests to check the levels of anticoagulation and hospitalization to get an IV drug. Patients should expect to be in the hospital 5-10 days to treat a new clot.

The most serious side effect of heparin is bleeding. Other side effects include skin rash, headache, cold symptoms, and stomach upset. A less common side effect is loss of bone strength if patients are on heparin for long periods of time (usually months). This is generally only a problem for pregnant women. A rare side effect of heparin is a condition called Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). HIT is sometimes incorrectly called "heparin allergy". It occurs in a small number of patients, but it has very serious symptoms including worsening of clotting and developing new clots, which can lead to stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, and death.