Treatment options in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients, due to life and limb-threatening thrombosis. Prompt recognition, laboratory testing, and alternate anticoagulation are essential. At present, HIT remains an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition. This review will discuss the relative merits of the approved treatment options, as well as address additional anticoagulants that show promise for the future.

Argatroban and lepirudin are well studied and approved drugs for treatment of HIT. Both of these drugs are equal in efficacy, and differences in pharmacokinetic profiles allow the choice of drug to be tailored to the clinical scenario. Bivalirudin and fondaparinux have been used to treat HIT in small case series. New oral anticoagulants, such as factor IIa and factor Xa inhibitors, may provide a novel treatment approach in HIT.

First-line therapies for HIT are argatroban or lepirudin. Patient-specific factors determine which drug should be used, and taking advantage of their differences allows effective anticoagulation with minimal risk of bleeding. Bivalirudin and fondaparinux require further study before they can be recommended. Once proven well tolerated and effective for treating thrombosis, these new oral anticoagulants should next be studied for treating HIT.