Argatroban as an alternative anticoagulant for patients with heparin allergy during coronary bypass surgery.

Although heparin allergy is a rare but well-documented entity, anticoagulation management for cardiac surgery in patients with the heparin allergy has not been established due to its rarity. Here we report a case that shows our anticoagulation strategy during a coronary bypass operation. A 67-year-old man with unstable angina pectoris developed an urticarial rash 10 h after the second exposure to heparin. Results of the drug lymphocyte stimulation test were positive for porcine heparin, coumadin, and nicorandil. Off-pump coronary bypass surgery was successfully performed with argatroban as an alternative anticoagulant to heparin, with activated clotting time kept over 200 s at the rate of 5 microg/kg per min of argatroban infusion.