The effect of unfractionated heparin on the haemostatic system of children admitted to a tertiary healthcare setting

Abstract

Previous studies investigating unfractionated heparin (UFH) therapy have reported age-related differences in UFH response in children as measured by APTT and anti-Xa assay. This study aimed to investigate the effect of UFH on tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and thrombin generation and compare these measures to currently used monitoring methods of UFH in paediatric healthcare (APTT; anti-Xa). Venous blood samples were collected from children <16 years (n=17) receiving continuous UFH (14–30U/kg/hr). APTT, anti-Xa, free TFPI, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) and ETP following inhibition of TFPI (ETP-TFPI) were performed on all samples.Results were analysed as a cohort and agreement be..