Failure of ancrod in the treatment of heparin-induced arterial thrombosis.
The morbidity and mortality associated with heparin-induced thrombosis remain high despite numerous empirical therapies. Ancrod has been used successfully for prophylaxis against development of thrombosis in patients with heparin induced platelet aggregation who require brief reexposure to heparin, but its success in patients who have developed the thrombosis syndrome is not well defined. The authors present a case of failure of ancrod treatment in a patient with heparin-induced thrombosis.