Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Scientists in Poland are developing a new way to remove heparin from blood in order to reduce or avoid the occurrence of unwanted side effects, according to Science Centric.

Heparin is routinely used before certain types of surgery or other procedures are preformed to prevent clotting. Afterward, doctors will often remove the blood thinner to avoid unwanted bleeding by using the medication protamine.

Protamine is a weak anticoagulant drug that is administered intravenously and acts as a heparin antagonist. But protamine carries a risk of serious side effects such as difficulty breathing; swelling of the mouth, face, lips or tongue; wheezing; muscle pain; confusion; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; mood changes; seizures; slurred speech; headache; loss of consciousness; unusual hunger; unusual sweating; and weakness.

Many people also experience allergic reactions from heparin, including organ failure, heart problems and shock. Batches of the drug also have been recalled or seized by the federal government after more than 80 people died and hundreds more were sickened by heparin that was found to have been contaminated during manufacturing.

In an effort to find a safer product to remove heparin from the bloodstream, Krzysztof Szczubialka and his team of researchers have developed a new product made of microscopic polymer beads from modified chitosan, a product of shellfish. Lab tests show that the new material reduced heparin concentrations to nearly zero within 10 minutes. The product will be detailed in the December issue of American Chemical Society’s monthly journal, Biomacromolecules.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 2:30 pm and is filed under Heparin recall, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.