Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip
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Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics

Low Molecular Wt Heparins / Lovenox


- Discussion: 
    - for treatment of DVT / PE;
    - anti-Xa to anti IIa ratio for enoxaparin is about 3 to 1 where as unfractionated heparin  has a ratio of 1 to 1;
            - hence LMWH has a greater inhibitory effect on factor Xa and has a lesser effect on thrombin; 
            - in contrast, arixtra inhibits anti-thrombin;  
   - labs:

            - because LMWH have minimal effect on thrombin, there is minimal elevation of the PTT
    - dosage:
            - subcutaneous enoxaparin 30 mg every 12 hours;
            - onset of activity occurs after about 3 hours;
            - it is advised to delay administration of Lovenox for 12-24 hours following surgery;
            - renal excretion is the main route of removal, and therefore dose reduction is required w/ significant renal dysfunciton; 

- Outcomes:
    - in a THR study by Colwell et al (JBJS July 1999, Vol 81-A), the overall rate of throboembolic disease was 3.6% for patients receiving
           lovenox versus 3.7 % for patients receiving adjusted dose coumadin;
           - rate of clinically significant bleeding was 0.9%;
           - lovenox was continued only for the length of the hospitalization which averaged about 7 days;
    - in the study by Hans Klaus Breddin et al. 2001, the authors performed a multicenter, open-label study  randomly assigned patients with acute DVT to one 
                  of three treatment regimens: intravenous administration of unfractionated heparin; 
           - SQ administration of a low-molecular-weight heparin, reviparin, twice a day for one week, or SQ administration of reviparin once a day for 4 weeks.
           - primary end point was evidence of regression of the thrombus on venography on day 21; secondary end points
                   were recurrent venous thromboembolism, major bleeding within 90 days after enrollment, and death;
           - of the patients receiving unfractionated heparin, 40.2 percent (129 of 321) had thrombus regression, as compared with 53.4 percent (175 of 328)
                   of the patients receiving reviparin twice daily and 53.5 % (167 of 312) of the patients receiving reviparin once daily;
           - w/ regard to thrombus regression, reviparin administered twice daily was significantly more effective than unfractionated
                   heparin (relative likelihood of thrombus regression, 1.28; 97.5 percent confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.52), as was
                   reviparin administered once daily (relative likelihood, 1.29; 97.5 percent confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.53);
           - in acute deep-vein thrombosis, reviparin regimens are more effective than unfractionated heparin in reducing the size of the thrombus;
           - reviparin is also more effective than unfractionated heparin for the prevention of recurrent thromboembolism and equally safe;
           - references:
                   - Effects of a Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin on Thrombus Regression and Recurrent Thromboembolism in Patients w/ DVT 
                              Hans Klaus Breddin et al.  N Engl J Med 2001;344:626-31. 
                   - Original Article: A Randomized Controlled Trial  LMWH  (Enoxaparin) to Prevent DVT in Patients Undergoing Elective Hip Surgery. 
                   - Failure of the American College of Chest Physicians-1A protocol for lovenox in clinical outcomes for thromboembolic prophylaxis.
                   - A randomized controlled trial of a low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin) to prevent DVT in patients undergoing elective hip surgery. 
                   - Comparison of Enoxaparin and Warfarin for the Prevention of DVT After THR. Evaluation During Hospitalization and 3 Months After Discharge 
                              CW Colwell et al JBJS July 1999, Vol 81-A, No 7.

 



- Complications:
     - heparin induced thrombocytopenia 
             - thrombocytopenia and platlet dysfunction seems to occur less often than w/ unfractionated herapin; 
             -references:
                    - Thrombocytopenia and Intra-cerebral Complications Associated with LMWH Treatment in Patients Undergoing THR.  A Report of 2 Cases. 

 








LMWH compared with warfarin for prophylaxis of DVT in patients who are operated on for fracture of the hip.

Prevention of DVT and PE after THR. Comparison of low-molecular-weight heparin and unfractionated heparin.

Prevention of DVT after elective hip surgery. A randomized trial comparing low molecular weight heparin with standard heparin.

Dihydroergotamine/heparin in the prevention of DVT after THR. A controlled, prospective, randomized multicenter trial

The thromboprophylactic effect of a low-molecular-weight heparin (Fragmin) in hip fracture surgery. A placebo-controlled study.





 


- Lovenox / Enoxaparin:



Original Text by Clifford R. Wheeless, III, MD.

Last updated by Clifford R. Wheeless, III, MD on Sunday, January 18, 2009 12:09 pm