Although HIT is less frequently reported in newborns and children, paediatricians should be aware of HIT in childhood as a potential complication of heparin application. The widespread practice of flushing catheters with heparin should also be debated in view of the risk of triggering the primary immune-response of HIT. In 1999, treatment options for further parenteral anticoagulation of HIT patients are danaparoid sodium (a low-molecular weight heparinoid) and lepirudin (a direct thrombin inhibitor).

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