Anticoagulants in Children with Renal Impairment: A Narrative Review
Narrative review published in Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis (2025)
Abstract
Venous thromboembolism is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in children with renal disease. To properly treat and prevent thromboembolism in this patient population, it is important to be familiar with the multitude of anticoagulant agents currently available. Many anticoagulant drugs undergo some extent of renal elimination. There are important considerations for the selection, dosing, and monitoring of anticoagulant drugs for patients with renal impairment due to various pharmacokinetic alterations that may occur. While there are data to help guide dosing and monitoring in adults, evidence regarding renal dose adjustment of many anticoagulant drugs in children are limited. For the clinician, anticoagulation management in children with renal impairment presents unique challenges. In addition to considering overall bleeding risk, the extent of renal impairment may vary by patient, making a one-size-fits-all approach to managing these patients difficult. These factors, combined with limited data, can make managing anticoagulation in children with renal impairment a challenge. Therefore, the focus of this review will be to describe the pharmacokinetics of the following anticoagulants in children with impaired renal function: unfractionated heparin, enoxaparin, dalteparin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, fondaparinux, bivalirudin, argatroban, dabigatran, and warfarin.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Comprehensive narrative review on pharmacokinetics of anticoagulants (including bivalirudin, argatroban) in pediatric renal impairment, where data are limited but renal elimination drives dosing decisions.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
This review describes the pharmacokinetics, selection, dosing, and monitoring of various anticoagulants in children with impaired renal function, listing agents including unfractionated heparin, enoxaparin, dalteparin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, fondaparinux, bivalirudin, argatroban, dabigatran, and warfarin. It highlights that many anticoagulants undergo renal elimination and that pediatric data for renal dose adjustment are limited. The abstract does not characterize bivalirudin as leech-derived, a direct thrombin inhibitor, or a derivative of hirudin—only listing it by name among many agents. The review evaluates pharmaceutical anticoagulants and makes no mention of hirudotherapy, leech saliva extracts, or actual leech application, so its relevance to ASH is indirect at best.
Citación
Anticoagulants in Children with Renal Impairment: A Narrative Review.
Kiskaddon AL et al. · Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis, 2025
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: June 18, 2026