Long-term application of lepirudin on chronic haemodialysis over 34 months after heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

adenine with La (Figure 3A in [1]). These results can only be due to contamination either in the animal facility or during sample analysis. Toxicology studies require meticulous attention to separation of laboratory animals and samples, far more than is necessary for other laboratory studies. As was pointed out in the correspondence of Rambeck [4], the high lung La levels that were reported by Lacour et al. may very well represent La that was inhaled from the powdered diet. Furthermore, the plasma phosphorus levels were markedly reduced by La in both models of CRF used by Lacour et al. [1] and the decreased serum phosphorus may very well have contributed to the reduction in organ weight that they found. To exclude phosphorus depletion as a cause for any apparent changes in organ weight, we introduced a control group with adenine-induced renal failure fed an adenine-low phosphorus diet for the last four weeks of the study. In summary, ingested La did not cause a reduction in liver weight in our study nor any hepatotoxicity in ours and other studies as well as in patient studies.