Heparin can induce heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The combined effect of type of surgery (major vs minor) and heparin on this prothrombotic immune reaction to platelet factor 4 (PF4)/ heparin was analyzed. In a randomized, double-blind study, trauma patients receiving low-molecular-weight (LMWH) or unfractionated heparin (UFH) for thrombosis prophylaxis were assessed for PF4/ heparin-antibody seroconversion, HIT, and thrombosis according to type of surgery. The risk for seroconversion was higher than major versus minor surgery odds ratio, 7.98 [95% confidence interval, 2.06-31.00], P ‫؍‬ .003, controlled for potential confounders, as was the risk for HIT (2.2% [95% confidence interval, 0.3%-4.1%] vs 0.0%, P ‫؍‬ .010). During LMWH compared with UFH thromboprophylaxis, HIT (1 of 298 vs 4 of 316; P ‫؍‬ .370) and PF4/heparin seroconversion (1.7% vs 6.6%; P ‫؍‬ .002) were less frequent, driven by differences in patients undergoing major surgery (incidence of HIT: LMWH 0.8% vs UFH 4.0%; P ‫؍‬ .180; seroconversion rates: 4.0% vs 17.0%; P ‫؍‬ .001). After minor surgery, no case of HIT occurred. The severity of trauma and the need for major surgery strongly influence the risk of an anti-PF4/heparin immune response, which is then increased by UFH. In major trauma certoparin may be safer than UFH because it induces HIT-antibody seroconversion, and the corresponding risk of HIT, less frequently. (Blood.

To cite this article: Greinacher A, Ittermann T, Bagemü hl J, Althaus K, Fü rll B, Selleng S, Lubenow N, Schellong S, Sheppard JI, Warkentin TE. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: towards standardization of platelet factor 4/heparin antigen tests. J Thromb Haemost 2010; 8: 2025-31.Summary. Background: Laboratory confirmation of heparininduced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is based on detection of heparin-dependent platelet-activating antibodies. Platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin enzyme-immunoassays (EIA) are a widely available surrogate for platelet-activating antibodies. Objective: Defining the optical density (OD) reactivity profiles of a PF4/ heparin EIA in reference subject and patient populations and the correlation of the EIA results (expressed in OD units) with the prevalence of platelet-activating antibodies. Patients/ methods: Using quantile regression we determined the 97.5th percentile of PF4/heparin-immunoglobulin G (IgG) EIA reactivities in non-heparin-treated individuals [blood donors (n = 935)] and patients before heparin therapy (n = 1207). In patients with suspected HIT, we compared the correlation of EIA-IgG reactivities (Greifswald laboratory; n = 2821) and the heparin-induced platelet activation assay (HIPA) with the correlation of reactivities of another EIA-IgG (McMaster laboratory; n = 1956) with the serotonin-release assay (SRA). Results: PF4/heparin-IgG EIA OD reactivities had a lower OD 97.5th percentile in blood donors compared with patient groups before heparin treatment (P < 0.001). The percentage of sera testing positive in the functional assays strongly correlated with PF4/heparin-IgG EIA OD reactivities in both laboratories with very similar results (correlation coefficient > 0.9) when normalized OD ranges (maximum OD divided by 10) were used instead of absolute OD values. Conclusions: Results of PF4/ heparin-IgG EIA should not be reported as only positive or negative as there is no single acceptable cut-off value. Instead, reporting PF4/heparin-IgG EIA OD results in ranges allows for risk-stratified prediction for presence of platelet-activating antibodies. Use of normalized OD ranges permits a standardized approach for inter-laboratory comparisons.

Background-Whether heart failure (HF) increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is not well established.In the phase III MAGELLAN (Multicenter, rAndomized, parallel Group Efficacy and safety study for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized medically iLL patients comparing rivaroxabAN with enoxaparin) trial, extended-duration rivaroxaban was compared with standard-duration enoxaparin followed by placebo for VTE prevention in 8101 hospitalized acutely ill patients with or without HF. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between HF severity and the risk of VTE in MAGELLAN patients. Methods and Results-Hospitalized patients diagnosed with HF were included according to New York Heart Association class III or IV at admission (n=2593). HF severity was determined by N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) plasma concentrations (median 1904 pg/mL). Baseline plasma D-dimer concentrations ranged from 0.6 to 1.7 μg/L for the less and more severe HF subgroups. Patients with more severe HF had a greater incidence of VTE versus patients with less severe HF, with a significant trend up to