Do I have to worry about my patients developing thrombocytopenia in patients on Lovenox?
Lovenox is associated with a lower risk of immune sensitization and thrombocytopenia than heparin. However, it is possible for Lovenox to produce a positive in-vitro test for heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) in patients with a history of HIT. Thrombocytopenia may occur in these patients. Warkentin et. al. conducted a large randomized clinical trial comparing the occurrence rate of thrombocytopenia between unfractionated heparin and Lovenox. His group found that HIT occurred in 2.7% of patients treated with UFH and 0.0% of patients treated with Lovenox.
