Unfractionated Heparin (UFH) is a fast-acting anticoagulant used to prevent and treat thromboembolic disorders and requires close laboratory monitoring due to its variable pharmacokinetics and dose-response relationship in order to ensure safe anticoagulation and minimal adverse events.

The therapeutic effect of UFH can be monitored using the aPTT calibrated to a UFH therapeutic range of 0.3-0.7 U/ml. It is important to obtain good quality UFH samples and enough quality samples to guarantee establishment of an appropriately responsive heparin therapeutic range (HTR). This webinar will review laboratory procedures to properly validate a HTR for therapeutic drug monitoring purposes.

Learning objectives:

• Review UFH utilization and recommendations for monitoring
• Present aPTT utilization to monitor UFH, including benefits and challenges
• Discuss how to develop a HTR using the aPTT calibrated to a chromogenic anti-Xa target range
• Explain case studies featuring the role of aPTT for UFH monitoring