Heparin and Thrombocytopenia: Guilty Till Proven Innocent?

摘要

In their prospective study on thrombocytopenia caused by heparin, Oliveira et al reported an unusually high incidence of thrombocytopenia associated with heparin use. From their trial, it is unclear whether the investigators have ruled out pseudothrom-bocytopenia in their patient population. Pseudothrom-bocytopenia is often mistaken for thrombocytopenia. A study performed on patients referred to a hematology center for thrombocytopenia showed that more than 15% had EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia.