"Bridging" therapy with low molecular weight heparin in pregnant patients and patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valves.

A substantial body of published, peer-reviewed, trial and cohort study—based evidence, institutional data sets and expert clinical experience/opinion supports the safe and effective use of enoxaparin for anticoagulation management of non-pregnant patients with prosthetic mechanical heart valves. A comparable body of data and trial results exists, also supported by a significant and authoritative base of expert opinion, for enoxaparin-based VTE prevention and treatment of at-risk pregnant patients who do not have mechanical heart valves. In pregnant women with prosthetic mechanical heart valves, no recommendations on the use of LMWHs can be made until the availability of more data (Lovenox Injection (package insert). Available at www.aventis-us.com/PIs/lovenox. Accessed July 30, 2003. Aventis Pharmaceuticals 2003).