Common anti-clot drug less safe in children

Heparin is commonly used to prevent the formation of blood clots. But new research has shown it is neither as safe nor as effective in children as previously thought.

A literature review published in the journal Pediatrics found that while heparin’s use in adult patients is positive, use in children resulted in more frequent major bleeding and recurring thrombosis.

Senior author Professor Paul Monagle, Stevenson Chair of The University of Melbourne’s Department of Paediatrics said the study had refuted a long-held assumption that heparin worked the same way in children as for adults.

“We found in children that the drug is substantially different in how it interacts within the plasma, possibly impacting on both effectiveness and safety,” Professor Monagle said.

“Heparin is a very common drug given to extremely sick children who are less able to tolerate complications, so we really need to understand the differences in its use between adults and children,” Professor Monagle said.

The study, led by nursing PhD student Fiona Newall, was a collaboration between Murdoch Childrens, the Royal Children’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne.

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