Heparin in the Treatment of Cerebral and Myocardial IschemiaHeart-Brain Interactions

Abstract Heparin and oral anticoagulant drugs are used in treating cerebrovascular disease or acute myocardial ischemia because heparin can prevent blood clotting or thrombus formation. Both in cerebrovascular disease and in coronary artery disease, thrombus formation in an atherosclerotic artery is frequently a direct cause of ischemic stroke or myocardial infarction. Heparin was first used in the management of cerebrovascular disease by Hedenius [1] in 1941 and in the treatment of myocardial infarction by Wright et al. [2] in 1948. Although almost 50 years have passed since then, the use of heparin both in cerebrovascular disease and in myocardial infarction is still controversial. Therefore, the use of heparin in patients with acute brain or myocardial ischemia will be reviewed in this chapter.