Platelet response to direct thrombin inhibitor or fondaparinux treatment in patients with suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Making a definitive diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) can be problematic. A prompt platelet rise following treatment has been proposed as a “post-test” criterion for diagnosis. However, the platelet response following discontinuation of heparin and initiation of a recommended alternative anticoagulant remains largely undefined and unstudied. This study aimed to characterize platelet response to initial treatment in patients with a low, intermediate, or high likelihood of having HIT. This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. Patients were over 18 years in age, underwent serologic testing for HIT, and received alternative anticoagulation treatment for HIT. Classification of each patient’s likelihood of having HIT was based on an empiric, pre-hoc combination of the 4T score and serology results. The primary outcome for this study was a platelet count response after initiation of direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) or fondaparinux therapy within 48 h. 124 patients were analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of having an immediate platelet rise of at least 10,000/µL by day 2 after starting treatment among high-likelihood for HIT patients were 0.71 (95% CI 0.55–0.84) and 0.64 (95% CI 0.5–0.76), respectively. The negative predictive value of no platelet rise was 75.5% (95% CI 0.61–0.86). A prompt platelet count rise may be appropriate to consider along with other known criteria for the clinical diagnosis of HIT. The rise should be immediate following discontinuation of heparin and initiation of recommended treatment, with an upward rise within 48 h.