Home
HelpLow Molecular Weight Heparin Level
eD-H Order Code
LAB2010
Specimen Collection Information
| Specimen | Minimum Test Volume | Container | Special Handling |
|---|---|---|---|
Blood |
Neonatal/Pediatric All other Coag tubes must be filled to the line on tube. |
Specimen Transport Temperature
Double spin, separate, and freeze
Reference Ranges / Critical Values
| Assay | Gender | Age Range | Normal Range | Critical Values | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMW Heparin | All | 0 Minutes – 150 Years | >1.50 | IU/mL |
Specimen Stability
4 hours
Additional Specimen Instructions
1.8 mL Sodium Citrate tube filled to the line
OR
2.7 mL Sodium Citrate tube filled to the line
Blue top tubes must be filled within 10% of stated volume. A discard tube must be used if a citrate tube is to be drawn using a winged blood collection set. It is important to remove air from the blood collection set to ensure the proper blood volume is obtained in the coag tube.
If needed, 1mL sodium citrate tubes can be prepared by the laboratory. These are a non-vacuum orange screw cap tube with lab prepared anticoagulant. To obtain some of these custom tubes please call the coagulation laboratory at 5-9463.
If the patient has a known hematocrit >55%, please contact the coagulation lab for an adjusted collection tube before drawing the blood.
Specimen drawn more than one hour prior to testing may not be reliable for heparin monitoring
Interpretive Data
| Assay Display | Interpretive Data |
|---|---|
| LMW Heparin | Guidelines for therapeutic low molecular weight heparin levels for the various formulations available in the US are summarized below. Low molecular weight heparin (Anti-Xa) levels should be determined in a plasma sample that has been drawn approximately 3-5 hours after a dose of LMWH and after steady-state has been reached. DRUG Dosing Schedule Target Peak Steady-State Low Mol Wt Heparin (Anti-Xa) Levels (Units/mL) Enoxaparin Twice daily 0.6-1.0 Enoxararin Once daily Unknown likely 1.0-1.5 Dalteparin Once daily 1.05 Tinzaparin Once daily 0.85 Monitoring prophylactic dose LMWH is not routinely performed thus guidelines for target peak LMWH (anti-Xa) levels are not available. Levels between 0.2 and 0.5 u/ml may be appropriate. Note: Most clinical trials in which low molecular weight heparins were used to treat acute venous thrombolism did not use target anti-Xa levels to guide dosing hence therapeutic levels have been determined retrospectively and have not been shown to correlate with drug efficacy. |
CPT(s)
85520
Performing Lab Section
Hematology