Effect of low dose heparin on coagulation index and therapeutic outcomes in premature infants with sepsis

Objective To investigate the effect of low dose heparin on blood coagulation and therapeutic outcomes in premature infants with sepsis. Methods Clinical data of 69 septic preterm newborns weighting less than 1 500 g treated in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 29 infants received heparin therapy (6 U/kg, q 8 h, for 3 d,then q12 h, heparin group) and 40 infants did not receive heparin therapy (control group), the coagulation index and therapeutic outcomes were compared between two groups. Results The coagulation indexes PT, TT, APTT and D dimer in heparin group were all significantly lower than those in control group [(15.5±3.5) s vs. (19.0±3.9) s, (15.4±3.5) s vs. (18.8±3.5) s, (47.5±8.6) s vs. (58.4±18.1) s, (1.7±0.8) mg/L vs. (2.6±1.9) mg/L; t=-3.815,4.275,-3.004,-2.459, P<0.05]. The overall clinical effective rate in heparin group was significantly higher than that in control group (86.2% vs. 60.0%, χ2=4.408, P<0.05). Conclusion Low dose heparin can significantly improve the blood coagulation function and improve the therapeutic effect of premature infants with sepsis. Key words: Heparin; Sepsis; Premature infant; Extremely low birth weight infant