title: Measuring anti-factor xa activity to monitor low-molecular-weight heparin in obesity: a critical review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The choice of whether to monitor anti-factor Xa (anti-Xa) activity in patients who are obese and who are receiving low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) therapy is controversial. To the authors' knowledge, no systematic review of monitoring of anti-Xa activity in such patients has been published to date.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To systematically ascertain the utility of monitoring anti-Xa concentrations for LMWH therapy in obese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEDLINE (1946 to September 2014), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase (1974 to September 2014), PubMed (1947 to September 2014), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970 to September 2014), and Scopus were searched using the terms obesity, morbid obesity, thrombosis, venous thrombosis, embolism, venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, low-molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin, dalteparin, tinzaparin, anti-factor Xa, anti-factor Xa monitoring, anti-factor Xa activity, and anti-factor Xa assay. The reference lists of retrieved articles were also reviewed.
  
  
  METHODS
  English-language studies describing obese patients treated with LMWH or reporting anti-Xa activity were reviewed using a 9-step decision-making algorithm to determine whether monitoring of LMWH therapy by means of anti-Xa activity in obesity is warranted. Studies published in abstract form were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis showed that anti-Xa concentrations are not strongly associated with thrombosis or hemorrhage. In clinical studies of LMWH for thromboprophylaxis in bariatric surgery, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, and medical patients, and for treatment of venous thrombo embolism and acute coronary syndrome, anti-Xa activity can be predicted from dose of LMWH and total body weight; no difference in clinical outcome was found between obese and non-obese participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Routinely determining anti-Xa concentrations in obese patients to monitor the clinical effectiveness of LMWH is not warranted on the basis of the current evidence. Circumstances where measurement of anti-Xa concentration may help in clinical decision-making in either obese or non-obese patients would be cases where elimination of LMWH is impaired or there is an unexpected clinical response, as well as to confirm compliance with therapy or to identify deviation from predicted pharmacokinetics.
authors.affiliation: BScPharm, ACPR, PharmD, is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Neurology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.affiliation: BS(Pharm), PharmD, FASHP, FCCP, FCSHP, FCAHS, is a Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Distinguished University Scholar, The University of British Columbia, and a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. She is also the Editor of the CJHP .
authors.forename: Mary H H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ensom
keywords: anti-Xa; anti–factor Xa; low-molecular-weight heparin; therapeutic drug monitoring