Early‐onset heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia after cardiac surgery: Should we lose sleep?

Abstract

Unfractionated heparin remains the preferred anticoagulant, bar none, for cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).1 With the ubiquitous use of unfractionated heparin and the universal fall in platelet count that accompanies CPB, concern for heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) arises frequently following cardiac surgery, even though the incidence of HIT in this setting is only 0.5%–1%.2