Heparin Dosing During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Obesity

Unfractionated heparin is the most common anticoagulant used during percutaneous coronary intervention. Practice guidelines recommend an initial weight-based heparin bolus dose between 70 and 100 U/kg to achieve target activated clotting time (ACT) of 250-300 seconds. The impact of severe obesity on weight-based heparin dosing is not well studied. We performed a retrospective analysis of 424 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention who received heparin for anticoagulation. We collected detailed data on cumulative heparin administration and measured ACT values in this cohort. We performed separate analyses to identify clinical predictors that may affect dose-response curves. There was significant variability in dosing with mean dose of 103.9 ± 32-U/kg heparin administered to achieve target ACT ≥ 250 seconds. Women received higher initial heparin doses when adjusted for weight than men (97.6 ± 31 vs. 89 ± 28 U/kg, P = 0.004), and only 49% of patients achieved ACT ≥ 250 s with the initial recommended heparin bolus dose (70-100 U/kg). Lower heparin dose (U/kg) was required in obese patients to achieve target ACT. In multivariate linear regression analysis with ACT as dependent variable, after inclusion of weight-based dosing for heparin, body mass index was the only significant covariate. In conclusion, there is significant variability in the therapeutic effect of heparin, with a lower weight-adjusted heparin dose required in obese patients.