Purpose: Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is used in cases of severe respiratory and/or circulatory failure over periods of several days to several weeks. Its circuitry requires a closely monitored anticoagulation therapy that is empirically supported by activated clotting time (ACT)-a method often associated with large inter- and intraindividual variability. We aimed to compare the measurement of heparin activity with ACT and the direct measurement of the heparin activity (anti-Xa) in a large ECMO population.

Methods: All patients treated by venoarterial or venovenous ECMO in our intensive care unit between January 2014 and December 2015 were prospectively included. A concomitant measurement of the anti-Xa activity and ACT was performed on the same sample collected twice a day (morning-evening) for unfractionated heparin adaptation with an ACT target range of 180 to 220 seconds.

Results: One hundred and nine patients (men 69.7%, median age 54 years) treated with ECMO (70.6% venoarterial) were included. Spearman analysis found no correlation between anti-Xa and ACT (ρ < 0.4) from day 1 and worsened over time. Kappa analysis showed no agreement between the respective target ranges of ACT and anti-Xa.

Conclusions: We demonstrate that concomitant measurement of ACT and anti-Xa activity is irrelevant in ECMO patients. Since ACT is poorly correlated with heparin dosage, anti-Xa activity appears to be a more suitable assay for anticoagulation monitoring.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0885066618776937DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

anti-xa activity
16
anticoagulation monitoring
8
measurement heparin
8
heparin activity
8
concomitant measurement
8
measurement anti-xa
8
ecmo
6
anti-xa
6
activity
6
monitoring ecmo
4

Similar Publications

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially fatal condition with variable clinical presentations, ranging from classic respiratory symptoms to rare atypical manifestations. This report describes a 47-year-old woman who presented with acute, severe right upper quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting without respiratory complaints. Initial investigations, including abdominal ultrasound and contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen, revealed no intra-abdominal abnormalities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) presents complex clinical challenges, particularly in patients receiving anticoagulation therapy. This case report discusses the management of acute ICH in a 60-year-old male patient on long-term apixaban therapy, who arrived at the emergency department with altered consciousness, right-sided hemiplegia, and mixed aphasia. Computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed a 70 ml left lenticular-capsular hematoma with significant mass effect, necessitating rapid intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism (PE) carries a significant risk of hemodynamic deterioration or death. Treatment should balance efficacy in reducing clot burden with the risk of complications, particularly bleeding. Previous studies on high-dose, short-term thrombolysis with alteplase (rtPA) showed a reduced risk of hemodynamic deterioration but no change in mortality and increased bleeding complications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: No clear guidelines exist for unfractionated heparin (UFH) monitoring in adult patients on veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS) for refractory cardiogenic shock. In this study, we sought to compare outcomes between anti-factor Xa (FXa) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) strategies for UFH monitoring during VA-ECLS.

Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective review of VA-ECLS patients who received UFH in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit between July 2019 and November 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As the main protein forming the vascular extracellular matrix, collagen has a weak antigenicity, making it an attractive candidate for coatings of vascular grafts. In order to bring antithrombotic properties to collagen for obtaining suitable blood compatibility of surfaces and further bioactive molecule carrying capacity, heparinization appears as a method of choice. Thus, in this article, pH-driven self-assembly was used to form collagen-based hydrogels with physical incorporation of heparins, especially low molecular weight heparin or unfractionated heparin at 1 IU/mL and 6 IU/mL.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!