A heparin-like effect was recently described in infants, children, and adults receiving bivalirudin while supported on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation following cardiopulmonary bypass. This is most likely due to endogenous release of glycosaminoglycans from vascular endothelium and mast cells and is associated with longer duration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and an increased inci...

There are a multitude of platelet function tests available, reflecting the complex nature of the platelet in haemostasis. No simple single test will ever cover all aspects of platelet function. Some tests focus on the aggregation of platelets, for example aggregometry, other on the swelling in response to hypotonic solutions, i.e. the well-known hypotonic shock response, or adhesion or coagulat...