LAUSR

Mary Ayad* Shekhar Patil Shivtej Kaushal Kavitha Gopal and Bela Patel UTHSC, Houston, TX C A T IO N , R E S E A R C H , A N D Q U A L IT Y IM P R O V E M E N T PURPOSE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the 3 most common causes of death in hospitalized patients. Significant efforts to enhance the pharmacological VTE prophylaxis compliance were implemented to reduce the rates of potentially preventable VTE. As a result, the heparin exposure per patient increased. Previous studies established a distinct role for heparin in enhancing antigen uptake and activation of the initial steps in the cellular immune response to PF4-containing complexes and the development of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) (2). HIT is a rare complication of heparin therapy, which is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, cost and length of stay (1).We aimed to determine the correlation between increasing heparin exposure and the rate of developing HIT.