Is Fondaparinux an Effective Alternative Anticoagulant in Patients With Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Type II? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Although rare, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is one of the most feared complications of heparin therapy. It is an antibody-mediated, acquired and transient thrombotic disorder following exposure to heparin. Unfractionated heparin is the standard anticoagulation used in hemodialysis sessions and hemodialysis patients who are continually exposed to heparin are at increased risk for HIT. We report a 75-year-old male patient with acute-on-chronic renal failure who subsequently developed HIT while on hemodialysis. The patient was presented with deep vein thrombosis and successfully treated with fondaparinux. In this report we also review the off-label use of fondaparinux for the treatment and prophylaxis of thrombosis in patients with HIT. As fondaparinux is too small to be recognized by the majority of heparin-reactive antibodies it could be a reasonable alternative anticoagulant for symptomatic HIT patients where licensed drugs like lepirudin and danaparoid are not available