A comparison of bivalirudin and heparin for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of mechanical life support often used in refractory cardiogenic or respiratory failure. Contact of blood circulating through the artificial circuit causes activation of the coagulation cascade necessitating the use of systemic anticoagulation. Continuous heparin infusion has traditionally been the initial anticoagulation therapy of choice given the short half-life and reversibility. Heparin works by reversibly binding to anti-thrombin III which catalyzes the degradation of factors IIa and Xa [1].

Source: Thrombosis Research - April 11, 2020 Category: Hematology Authors: Matthew A. Brown, Farzad Najam, Elizabeth S. Pocock, Peter F. Munoz, Katherine A. Farrar, David P. Yamane Tags: Letter to the Editors-in-Chief Source Type: research