Heparin antibodies increase heart risk

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Patients developing antibodies to the anti-clotting drug heparin nearly double their post-operative risk of death or serious complication, says a U.S. study.

The study -- involving 466 patients scheduled to undergo either coronary artery bypass or valve replacement surgery -- demonstrated a relationship between heparin antibodies and complications after cardiac surgery.

"Complications after heart surgery are typically attributed to the surgery alone," said co-principal investigator Dr. Thomas Slaughter of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. "Our study examined whether development of heparin antibodies before surgery poses an independent risk."

The researchers theorize that in patients with heparin antibodies, subsequent treatment with heparin activates blood components that cause clotting and inflammation -- increasing the risk for heart attacks, heart rhythm problems, strokes and other complications.

The findings are published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.