Use of Argatroban in Donor Lung Procurement: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immunological response to heparin exposure that predisposes patients to hypercoagulable reactions with subsequent heparin administration. Traditionally, heparin is the standard anticoagulant used during organ procurement to prevent clot formation in grafts. This creates a problem in donors or recipients that develop HIT as they are at risk of developing life-threatening coagulopathy. This raises the question of how to use alternative anticoagulation therapies, such as argatroban, that provide rapid-onset prophylaxis by reversibly inhibiting thrombin. Additionally, there are few studies that have assessed how recipients of multiorgan donors treated with argatroban do post-operatively. CASE REPORT In this report, we discuss the procurement protocol and hospital course of a lung transplant recipient who received a graft treated with argatroban due to a HIT-positive liver recipient. The post-operative course for our patient was uneventful, with improved lung function and no complications attributable to argatroban use. Further, none of the 4 other recipients who received organs from the same donor experienced graft dysfunctions secondary to coagulopathy, including the HIT-positive liver recipient. CONCLUSIONS The ultimate success of grafts without thromboembolic complications suggests the use of argatroban in multiorgan procurement in the setting of a HIT-positive recipient is safe and effective. This case report highlights an alternative to the traditional process of organ procurement with heparin, in which patients at risk of coagulopathies secondary to HIT are able to receive organs when traditional protocols would otherwise be prohibitive.