Enoxaparin, nadroparin help accelerate wound healing

Treatment with enoxaparin and nadroparin may speed up wound healing after an operation, reports a study. On the other hand, phenprocoumon, acetylsalicylic acid, and certain low-molecular-weight heparins (certoparin, tinzaparin, dalteparin, bemiparin) may delay recuperation.

“Various factors can impair wound healing by disrupting key stages of the process,” the authors said. “This study evaluates the impact of concomitant anticoagulant medication on wound healing in a cohort of 212 patients.”

Specifically, the authors analysed data from two open-label, blindly evaluated, prospective, randomized phase III trials. They compared healing durations of patients taking anticoagulants with a control group (split-thickness skin graft donor site halves treated with standard moist wound dressing). Multivariate Cox regression and Kaplan‒Meier estimators were used.

In Kaplan‒Meier analysis, patients treated with enoxaparin or nadroparin demonstrated significantly accelerated wound healing.

Seventy-five percent of patients on enoxaparin achieved wound closure within 16.5 days (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 14‒21), while those on nadroparin did so within 15 days (95 percent CI, 11.5‒19), relative to 24 days (95 percent CI, 20‒28) in patients treated with other anticoagulants (log-rank test: p<0.001).

These findings were confirmed in Cox regression, which showed a significantly faster healing rate with enoxaparin or nadroparin (hazard ratio, 1.50, 95 percent CI, 1.02‒2.19; p=0.039).

“Anticoagulant monotherapy with enoxaparin or nadroparin should be considered postoperatively when feasible,” the authors said.