High rates of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis did not increase the incidence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophlaxis is recommended for most hospitalized patients. At a 505-bed urban academic medical center, the rate of VTE prophylaxis recently increased from 50%-55% to > 95% of eligible patients. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially devastating, but rare, reaction to medications commonly used for VTE prophylaxis.