Lancet
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Eleven patients in whom thrombocytopenia developed during heparin therapy were studied. Six patient (group 1) had severe thrombocytopenia with delayed onset and five of these patients had thromboembolic complications. A serum factor which induced heparin-dependent thromboxane B2 synthesis, 14C-serotonin release, and platelet aggregation was found in all patients in group 1. ⋯ These findings suggest that the mechanism of the severe thrombocytopenia secondary to heparin therapy is immunological and the associated thromboembolic complications may be attributed to in-vivo activation of the platelet prostaglandin pathway and platelet aggregation induced by the heparin-dependent antibody. The five patients in group 2 had mild symptomless thrombocytopenia with early onset. In this group, the heparin-dependent antibody was not found and the mechanism of the thrombocytopenia is probably a direct action of heparin on platelets.