Incidence of Thrombocytopenia After Enoxaparin and Heparin Taking in Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

Background: Heparin is the most common administered anticoagulant in hospitalized patients. Thrombocytopenia can occur after heparin s administered in these patients. This study was conducted to determine the incidence of thrombocytopenia in patients treated with heparin and their clinical outcomes. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 754 patients admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, who were treated with heparin were examined for the incidence of thrombocytopenia during 2022-2023. Data were extracted from the medical records of the patients and analyzed using SPSS software version 26. Results: Among the patients, 50.4% were male, and 49.6% were female. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the patients were 63.12±16.82 years. Platelet counts before and after heparin administration were 244.75±79.64 and 207.66±83.39×103 /µL, respectively. The frequency of thrombocytopenia in patients was 25.5%. The incidence of thrombocytopenia was 29.5% and 21.4% in men and women, respectively (P=0.011), and 19.3% and 28.1% of patients received enoxaparin and heparin, respectively (P=0.010). The mean age of patients with thrombocytopenia was 67.25±15.10 years compared to 61.61±17.17 years for those without thrombocytopenia (P<0.001). Furthermore, the length of stay in the hospital for patients with and without thrombocytopenia was 36.12±52.16 and 20.9±6.45 days, respectively (P=0.015). Moreover, the mortality rate was 35.34% and 10% in patients with and without thrombocytopenia, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusion: About a quarter of patients developed thrombocytopenia within 72 hours after receiving heparin. A significant relationship was observed between thrombocytopenia incidence and older age, female gender, and heparin use. Additionally, thrombocytopenia was significantly associated with increased hospital stay duration and higher mortality.