Thrombosis research
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Thrombosis research · Apr 1993
Evaluation of a low molecular weight heparin as an anticoagulant in a model of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.
Heparin, the classically used anticoagulant in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, has several disadvantages such that alternate anticoagulants are being sought. Previous reports have described questionable safety with the clinical use of low molecular weight (LMW) heparin in cardiac surgery. The dog cardiopulmonary bypass model described herein may provide a useful means to study the pharmacology of new drugs prior to clinical use. ⋯ Post-operative blood loss and fibrin deposition in the arterial line filters were measured. Our findings showed there was no significant blood loss (heparin 452 +/- 67 gms; LMW heparin 289 +/- 82 gms) and no significant fibrin deposition (heparin 22 +/- 3 gms; LMW heparin 28 +/- 7 gms) with the LMW heparin. These findings suggest that this LMW heparin should be safe and effective at the studied bolus dose as an anticoagulant for use in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and that protamine should be used to reverse the anticoagulant response after surgery.