Successful Use of Danaparoid in Two Pregnant Women With Heart Valve Prosthesis and Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Type II (HIT)

Anticoagulant therapy with heparin for the prevention of thromboembolism in pregnant women with prosthetic heart valves is associated with an increased risk to the mother and/or the fetus. A life-threatening complication of the therapy with heparin is heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II (HIT). danaparoid has not yet been reported to be safe and effective for this indication. This study reports on a 26-year-old woman with tricuspidal valve prosthesis and a 37-year-old woman with a St. Jude Medical mitral valve prosthesis who were anticoagulated with danaparoid during pregnancy because of HIT. Anti-Xa levels were between 0.6 and 1.2 IU/mL during pregnancy with target levels of 1.0 IU/mL. Cesarean section was performed at anti-Xa levels of 0.3 and 0.7 IU/mL. One woman developed a placental hematoma at the 32nd week of gestation, which did not increase over the following week. Both patients delivered healthy boys. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in pregnant women with prosthetic heart valve can be successfully managed with danaparoid.