Heparin Dose Response Is Independent of Preoperative Antithrombin Activity in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Using Low Heparin Concentrations

Abstract

BACKGROUND-Unfractionated heparin's primary mechanism of action is to enhance the enzymatic activity of antithrombin (AT). We hypothesized that there would be a direct association between preoperative AT activity and both heparin dose response (HDR) and heparin sensitivity index (HSI) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.