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Acenocoumarol therapy in pediatric patients
Author(s) -
Bonduel M.,
Sciuccati G.,
Hepner M.,
Torres A.Feliu,
Pieroni G.,
Frontroth J. P.,
Serviddio R. M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of thrombosis and haemostasis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.947
H-Index - 178
eISSN - 1538-7836
pISSN - 1538-7933
DOI - 10.1046/j.1538-7836.2003.00256.x
Subject(s) - acenocoumarol , medicine , regimen , maintenance dose , loading dose , anticoagulant , anesthesia , pediatrics , warfarin , surgery , atrial fibrillation
Summary. To determine guidelines for administering and monitoring acenocoumarol therapy in children, 93 patients (median 5.1 years, range: 0.2–18 years) were prospectively evaluated over a 33‐month period. The loading doses used were: <1 year, 0.20 mg kg −1 ; >1–5 years, 0.09 mg kg −1 ; 6–10 years, 0.07 mg kg −1 ; 11–18 years, 0.06 mg kg −1 . In this study, the loading dose and the dose to achieve and maintain target therapeutic range (TTR) for acenocoumarol are age‐dependent, with infants having the highest and teenagers having the lowest requirements. The use of a different loading dose according to age has allowed most of the children (80%) in all the age groups to achieve TTR in less than 1 week. No patients had serious bleeding or thrombotic complications. We conclude that there is an age‐dependent response to acenocoumarol in pediatric patients. The implementation of an age‐adjusted loading dose regimen reduces the length of hospitalization required to achieve effective anticoagulant therapy.