Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia, Clinical and Laboratory Aspects
In this fourth Special Issue we focus on the very specific theme “Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia”. Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threatening adverse effect from which some patients suffer while being treated with heparin. It is therefore important to recognise the clinical symptoms of HIT as well as to perform proper laboratory diagnosis. The clinical part of this issue gives a short overview of heparin, describes the pathophysiology of HIT, gives a comparison of unfractionated heparin (UFH) with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) with respect to the risk for HIT, shows a summary of the 9th edition of the CHEST ACCP Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of HIT, discusses the alternatives for unfractionated heparin and describes the 4Ts Score for the Diagnosis of HIT. The laboratory part of this issue gives an overview of the available diagnostic tests. The last contribution gives an overview of external quality assessment results for immunological heparin-induced thrombocytopenia testing.