ABSTRACT
Effective antiplatelet and antithrombin therapy are central to the management of unstable
coronary heart disease. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been the mainstay of antithrombin
therapy, but has practical and therapeutic disadvantages. The low-molecular-weight heparins
(LMWHs) overcome several of these disadvantages, achieving highly predictable levels of
anticoagulation with weight-based subcutaneous dosing. Prospective studies support the efficacy
of LMWHs compared with aspirin alone for the treatment of patients with non-ST elevation
acute coronary syndromes, and have led to a series of randomized clinical trials comparing
LMWH with UFH.
