Intermittent heparin infusion in children with ischemic heart disease caused by Kawasaki disease

We determined change in serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), one of the most potent angiogenic factors, after intravenous infusion of heparin in children and reported successful improvement of cardiac ischemia after regular intravenous heparin infusion in an infant with ischemic heart disease (IHD) caused by Kawasaki disease (KD). Intravenous infusion of 50 units/kg of heparin significantly increased serum HGF from 0.8 +/- 0.6 to 8.4 +/- 3.4 at 5 min, 8.3 +/- 2.5 at 30 min, and 4.9 +/- 1.5 ng/ml at 60 min, respectively. Subsequently, a 16-month-old infant with IHD caused by KD had received regular intravenous infusion of heparin, 100 IU/kg twice a day for 1 month and once a week for subsequent 2 months. With this treatment, his perfusion defect on myocardial scintigraphy disappeared. In conclusion, regular heparin infusion alone can improve myocardial ischemia caused by KD, probably due to facilitated production of HGF. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.