Fondaparinux as anticoagulant in a pregnant woman with heparin allergy

Abstract

We report a patient who had a history of deep vein thrombosis in a previous pregnancy. She was treated with heparins without any reactions in the index pregnancy. Subsequently, when the patient became pregnant again, she developed an acute cutaneous reaction to the low molecular heparin enoxaparin 3 weeks after initiation of therapy. She developed a similar reaction to delteparin as well. She was therefore treated with warfarin until 36 weeks of gestation. Then she was treated with fondaparinux (Arixtra, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Paris, France) 2.5 mg daily for the remainder of the pregnancy. Delivery was at term by induction of labour. Fondaparinux was stopped on the day of the induction of labour. It was re-started 6 h post-delivery and the patient was anticoagulated with warfarin in the post-partum period. There were no bleeding tendencies or recurrences of thrombosis during fondaparinux therapy. Both mother and baby were well after delivery.