Simple and safe heparin regimen for acute ischaemia

• Autor(a) principal: Bittencourt,P. R. M.
• Data de Publicação: 1986
• Outros Autores: Padilha,S., Mazer,S.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X1986000100003

The risk/benefit ratio of acute anticoagulation in ischaemic cerebro-vascular disease is not clearly established. A simple and safe intermittent intravenous heparin regimen (20000 IU daily) was used prospectively in 50 patients of 57 ± 14 (m ± sd) years of age whose blood pressures ranged from normal to severe hypertension. Twenty-two patients had cardiogenic embolism and the remaining had recurrent severe transient ischaemic attacks of recent onset or progressive cerebral infarcts. Time of exposure to heparin was 6.4 ± 4 (m±sd) days. Two patients had recurrences of cerebral thromboembolism and none had bleeding complications. This is a safe and efficient method of anticoagulation for patients with cerebral ischaemia when continuous infusion of heparin or close monitoring of clotting times are not used routinely.