PREDICTORS OF THE EFFECT OF HEPARIN DURING CARDIAC-CATHETERIZATION

This study was designed to determine if the activated partial thrombop lastin time (aPTT) present at the end of a diagnostic cardiac catheter ization was correlated with specific patient or procedure characterist ics. No relationship between time from heparin bolus and the aPTT was found. Age, weight and body surface area were found to influence the a PTT at catheterization completion (p < 0.05). Patient sex, height, smo king status, hematocrit, and type and volume of contrast used were not correlated with aPTT at the end of catheterization. This suggests pos sible usefulness of the age and weight of patients to guide the dose o f heparin used at cardiac catheterization.