The diagnostic value of the anti-PF4/heparin immunoassay high-dose heparin confirmatory test in cardiac surgery patients

Anesth Analg. 2011 Apr;112(4):774-6. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e31820b5f39. Epub 2011 Mar 8.

Abstract

There are limited and conflicting data on how a confirmatory step using high-dose heparin can improve diagnostic specificity of the antiplatelet factor 4/heparin enzyme immunoassay for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). We investigated sera from a recently published study on cardiac surgery patients and found that only half of the sera that were heparin-induced platelet activation assay positive could be inhibited (optical density <40%) by high-dose heparin (100 IU/mL) in the enzyme immunoassay. More importantly, only 2 of the 3 patients with definite HIT were confirmatory test positive. Therefore, the high-dose heparin confirmatory test should be used with caution to exclude platelet-activating antiplatelet factor 4/heparin antibodies or clinical HIT.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures* / adverse effects
  • Heparin / administration & dosage*
  • Heparin / adverse effects
  • Heparin / blood
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay / methods
  • Isoantibodies / biosynthesis
  • Isoantibodies / physiology
  • Platelet Activation / immunology
  • Platelet Factor 4 / immunology*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Thrombocytopenia / blood
  • Thrombocytopenia / chemically induced
  • Thrombocytopenia / diagnosis

Substances

  • Isoantibodies
  • Platelet Factor 4
  • Heparin