ABSTRACT
The elimination of all heparin sources and the initiation of alternative anticoagulation are recommended for treating patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), whether or not complicated with thrombosis (Warkentin and Greinacher, 2004). Argatroban is the only direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) approved in the United States as an anticoagulant for use in patients with HIT in both noninterventional and interventional settings. Two other DTIs are approved in the United States for use in patients with HIT in either the noninterventional (lepirudin; see Chapter 14) or interventional (bivalirudin, see Chapter 16) setting, but not both. Argatroban is indicated in the United States as an anticoagulant for prophylaxis or treatment of thrombosis in patients with HIT and for patients with, or at risk for, HIT undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (Argatroban Prescribing Information, U.S., 2002). It is also available in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden as an anticoagulant for patients with HIT.
