Treatment of venous thromboembolism: experience with bemiparin

Until a few years ago unfractionated heparin (UFH) was the standard treatment for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The introduction of LMWHs with their unique properties conferred a number of important advantages including greater activity against factor Xa, predictable anticoagulant response, better bioavailability, longer half-life, reduced binding to plasma proteins and macrophages, reduced effects on platelets and less bleeding. A recent meta-analysis of 16 randomised trials in 2045 patients compared the effects of LMWH and UFH on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). There was a reduction in mortality, bleeding and the incidence of thrombocytopenia in patients treated with LMWH.