Table 2.
Clinical Characteristics of the 152 Adverse Reactions after Administration of Heparin.*
| Characteristic | All Reactions (N = 152) |
Probable Reactions (N = 116) |
Definite Reactions (N = 36) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time from administration of heparin to reaction — min |
|||
| During hemodialysis | 5.1±9.1 | 5.3±10.0 | 4.5±6.2 |
| During treatment for cardiac conditions | 14±17.2 | 15.9±17.7 | 1±0 |
| During photopheresis† | 30±13.1 | 30±13.1 | — |
| Manifestation — no. (%) | |||
| Facial edema | |||
| Any | 36 (23.7) | 0 | 36 (100) |
| Lips | 23 (15.1) | 0 | 23 (63.9) |
| Eyelids | 17 (11.2) | 0 | 17 (47.2) |
| Throat | 12 (7.9) | 0 | 12 (33.3) |
| Tongue | 11 (7.2) | 0 | 11 (30.6) |
| Mouth | 10 (6.6) | 0 | 10 (27.8) |
| Urticaria | 5 (3.3) | 0 | 5 (13.9) |
| Low blood pressure | 76 (50.0) | 69 (59.5) | 7 (19.4) |
| Systolic pressure <80 mm Hg | 17 (11.2) | 14 (12.1) | 3 (8.3) |
| Nausea | 74 (48.7) | 56 (48.3) | 18 (50.0) |
| Shortness of breath | 57 (37.5) | 38 (32.8) | 19 (52.8) |
| Vomiting | 37 (24.3) | 27 (23.3) | 10 (27.8) |
| Tingling | 36 (23.7) | 28 (24.1) | 8 (22.2) |
| Flushing | 35 (23.0) | 31 (26.7) | 4 (11.1) |
| Tachycardia | 33 (21.7) | 29 (25.0) | 4 (11.1) |
| Diaphoresis | 23 (15.1) | 23 (19.8) | 0 |
| Abdominal pain | 17 (11.2) | 12 (10.3) | 5 (13.9) |
| Diarrhea | 8 (5.3) | 7 (6.0) | 1 (2.8) |
| Loss of consciousness | 6 (3.9) | 6 (5.2) | 0 |
| Chills | 2 (1.3) | 2 (1.7) | 0 |
| Fever | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.9) | 0 |
| Difficulty swallowing | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheezing | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Follow-up care — no./total no. (%) | |||
| Blood cultures obtained‡ | 32/144 (22.2) | 26/109 (23.9) | 6/35 (17.1) |
| Evaluation in an emergency department§ | 22/144 (15.3) | 9/109 (8.3) | 13/35 (37.1) |
| Hospitalization§ | 13/144 (9.0) | 5/109 (4.6) | 8/35 (22.9) |
| Use of intravenous heparin — no. (%) | 149 (98.0) | 115 (99.1) | 34 (94.4) |
| Brand of heparin — no. (%) | |||
| Baxter Healthcare | 141 (92.8) | 110 (94.8) | 31 (86.1) |
| APP Pharmaceuticals | 6 (3.9) | 4 (3.4) | 2 (5.6) |
| Baxter or APP | 2 (1.3) | 1 (0.9) | 1 (2.8) |
| Not reported | 3 (2.0) | 1 (0.9) | 2 (5.6) |
*
Plus–minus values are means ±SD.
†
Although heparin is administered at the beginning of photophoresis, the patient is not exposed to it until later in the process.
‡
The total numbers exclude eight reactions (one definite and seven probable) owing to missing data.
§
The total numbers exclude the eight reactions (one definite and seven probable) that occurred in patients undergoing treatment for cardiac conditions because these patients were hospitalized at the time of the adverse reactions.