Heparin, DDAVP and the Bleeding Time

The effect on the bleeding time of heparin, followed by an infusion with desmopressin (DDAVP) 0.3 micrograms/kg or placebo in a randomized, double-blind set-up, was investigated in 20 patients treated for acute venous thromboembolism. The bleeding time was on the average prolonged by 90% (95% confidence interval 46%-134%) after at least 1 day of treatment with heparin. At that point DDAVP shortened the bleeding time by 23% with a confidence …