HeartInfo Commentary Heparin is a useful drug that is very effective in preventing blood clot formation. This is important for heart disease patients since blood clots in the arteries cause heart attacks. Heparin is a long string of sugar molecules that vary in chemical structure. Unfractionated heparin is a fairly heterogenous molecule. The smaller heparin differs in its specificity and mode of action for some of the proteins involved in blood clotting.
Unfractionated heparin is particularly advantageous because it is easier to dose.
This is helpful for potential outpatient use. This study, however, is far too small to draw definite conclusions. Still, multiple studies have demonstrated that low molecular weight heparin performs as well as unfractionated heparin in preventing blood clots. It is possible that low molecular heparins may gradually replace unfractionated heparin. All rights reserved.