Doctor's Guide -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- October 7, 2010 -- Patients who receive intravenous heparin as a bridge to oral anticoagulants after being implanted with mechanical heart valves may be receiving a potentially deadly double or even triple dose of blood thinners, leading to higher rates of heparin-induced thromboembolism (HIT), according to a study presented here at the 96th Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
