HEPARIN
ABSTRACT: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a transient, prothrombotic state.
The FDA announced that Baxter Healthcare Corporation has temporarily stopped manufacturing multiple-dose vials of the injectable drug heparin, commonly used before surgery as a blood-thinning agent, due to reports of serious allergic reactions and hypotension in patients who receive high "bolus" doses of the drug.
Heparin is one of the oldest drugs currently in widespread clinical use.
Each day, nearly 2,500 Americans die of cardiovascular disease--representing an average of one death every 35 seconds.