Evaluation of safety and effectiveness of standardized antifactor Xa-based unfractionated heparin protocols in obese versus non-obese patients.

Recent data have suggested that standard unfractionated heparin (UFH) protocols may over-anticoagulate obese patients. The goal of this retrospective study was to observe differences in anticoagulation parameters and safety outcomes for standardized antifactor Xa UFH protocols in obese and non-obese populations. Obese patients (N = 148) were identified over a 20-month period and matched to 148 non-obese patients based on age, gender, and admission date.