A Randomized Trial Comparing Activated Thromboplastin Time With Heparin Assay in Patients With Acute Venous Thromboembolism Requiring Large Daily Doses of Heparin

BACKGROUND: The management of heparin therapy in patients who have a subtherapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) despite high doses of heparin is problematic because the risk of heparin-associated bleeding increases with dose. Results of experimental studies in animals indicate that when the APTT response to heparin is blunted by infusion of procoagulants, dose escalation can be avoided without compromising efficacy, by …