Heparin Versus Bivalirudin in Pediatric Patients Assisted With Mechanical Circulatory Support: A Retrospective Before-and-after Study

Objectives: Children assisted with mechanical circulatory support experience bleeding and thrombotic complications that may depend upon anticoagulation strategies. The primary aim of this study was to compare the incidence of thrombotic events in pediatric heart failure patients assisted with mechanical circulatory support with the use of bivalirudin versus heparin anticoagulation. A secondary aim was to compare the percentage of out-of-range partial thromboplastin time values between these anticoagulants. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Participants: Pediatric patients undergoing mechanical circulatory support for cardiac failure. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 36 pediatric patients on mechanical support treated with either heparin (n.18) or bivalirudin (n.18) during the first 30 days of intensive care unit admission were compared. Bivalirudin group data were retrieved from February 2018 to August 2020 while data on the heparin group were extrapolated from 2015 to 2017. A comparison of anticoagulation was conducted specifically in EXCOR Berlin Heart and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients. Berlin Heart patients showed 1 (12.5%) versus 8 (80%) thrombotic episodes in the bivalirudin and heparin groups, respectively (p = 0.005), 0 and 3 (30%) cerebrovascular events, and 0 versus 3 (30%) death episodes, respectively (p = 0.054). In extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients, the bivalirudin and heparin groups showed 0 versus 1 (8.3%) patient with a thrombosis episode (p = 0.40), 0 and 0 cerebrovascular events, and 5 (50%) versus 3 (25%) death episodes, respectively (p = 0.169). The number of out-of-range partial thromboplastin time values was higher in the heparin group both in Berlin Heart and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: In a cohort of children with heart failure, bivalirudin use was associated with a reduction in thrombotic events in Berlin Heart patients compared with heparin over a period of 30 days.