Abstract
Two types of heparin-associated thrombopenia (HAT) can be distinguished. Patients
with type II HAT (HAT II) present a particularly difficult management problem when
they require full anticoagulation. There is no consensus about the proper anticoagulation
management for patients with HAT II who have to undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
We present a HAT II patient who underwent successful aortocoronary saphenous vein
grafting. Sodium-danaparoid (SD) was used for anticoagulation. The anti-factor Xa
level was kept below the values reported in the literature for patients undergoing
CPB. We did not observe any fibrin formation during the time of CPB or any severe
postoperative hemorrhage, which is frequently described in the literature. We discuss
the management of our patient with SD intra- and postoperatively.
