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INCREASED SENSITIVITY TO HEPARIN FOLLOWING ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION
Canadian Medical Association Journal
|January 2, 1965
Summary
Patients with acute myocardial infarction show increased sensitivity to heparin. The one-stage prothrombin time best measures this heightened heparin sensitivity in myocardial infarction patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hematology
Background:
- Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) exhibit altered responses to anticoagulants.
- Heparin sensitivity can be a critical factor in managing thrombotic events post-AMI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify the in vivo sensitivity to heparin in patients recently experiencing myocardial infarction.
- To compare heparin sensitivity in AMI patients versus healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Administered a 10,000-unit intravenous heparin dose to 18 AMI patients and 17 healthy controls.
- Monitored changes in whole blood clotting time, recalcified plasma clotting time, and one-stage prothrombin time.
Main Results:
- AMI patients demonstrated significantly greater and more prolonged changes in clotting times compared to controls.
- The one-stage prothrombin time proved to be the most precise and simplest method for assessing heparin sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Acute myocardial infarction is associated with increased in vivo heparin sensitivity.
- The one-stage prothrombin time is recommended for measuring heparin sensitivity in post-MI patients.
- Potential contributing factors include shock and congestive heart failure following myocardial infarction.