The Use of Bivalirudin in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and in the Interventional Cardiology Suite

Anticoagulation is an essential component for patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and for those with ventricular assist devices. However, thrombosis and bleeding are common complications. Heparin continues to be the agent of choice for most patients, likely owing to practitioners' comfort and experience and the ease with which the drug's effects can be reversed. However, especially in pediatric cardiac surgery, there is increasing interest in using bivalirudin as the primary anticoagulant. This drug circumvents certain problems with heparin administration, such as heparin resistance and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, but it comes with additional challenges. In this manuscript, the authors review the literature on the emerging role of bivalirudin in pediatric cardiac surgery, including its use with cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ventricular assist devices, and interventional cardiology. Moreover, they provide an overview of bivalirudin's pharmacodynamics and monitoring methods.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Review of bivalirudin pharmacodynamics and use in pediatric cardiac surgery including CPB, ECMO, VAD and interventional cardiology, particularly for heparin resistance and HIT.

Leech-derived molecules this paper discusses, each with a full profile in the ASH compound registry:

Узнайте, как это исследование связано с клинической практикой

More peer-reviewed studies in Разработка лекарственных препаратов.

• Novel Leech Antimicrobial Peptides — Hirunipins — Kumar et al. (2025)
• Medicinal Leech Genome Assembly — Anticoagulant Gene Catalog — Kvist et al. (2020)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Hirudotherapy in Medicine and Dentistry — Jha K et al. (2015)
• Medicinal leech therapy (hirudotherapy): a brief overview — Singh A (2010)
• HIRUDOTHERAPY IN PRESBYACUZIS PRAECOX IN CLEAN-UP WORKERS AFTER THE CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT DURING THE POST-CATASTROPHE YEARS — Zabolotnyi D, Mishchanchuk N (2019)
• Investigation of oxidant-antioxidant status in patients treated with hirudotherapy: an experimental study — Sarikan I, Savas H (2024)
• Leech therapeutic applications — Abdualkader A et al. (2013)
• Non-Occlusive Mesenteric Ischemia Due to Hirudotherapy: A Case Report — Akalın Ç, Ekmen N (2020)
• Leech therapy: a history — Hyson J (2005)

Browse all ASH-analysed research →