Baillière's clinical haematology
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Baillieres Clin. Haematol. · Sep 1998
ReviewHeparin and low-molecular-weight heparin in the treatment of venous thromboembolism.
Venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) continues to constitute a major clinical challenge. Effective and safe prophylactic measures against venous thromboembolism are now available for most high risk patients. In spite of this, pulmonary embolism is responsible for approximately 150,000 to 200,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. ⋯ In individual clinical trials and meta-analyses, low-molecular-weight heparin treatment results in decreased recurrent thromboembolism, major bleeding and death when compared with unfractionated heparin in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. These agents have also been shown to be both effective and safe for the out-of-hospital treatment of venous thrombosis. Therefore, in many countries, low-molecular-weight heparin has replaced unfractionated heparin for the treatment of venous thromboembolism.