Venous gangrene associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

We present a patient with deep venous thrombosis, which progressed to venous gangrene while the patient was receiving heparin therapy. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia was confirmed with platelet aggregation studies, and a causal relationship is suspected. The association is an argument for close monitoring of platelet counts in patients undergoing heparinization for deep venous thrombosis.