Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) Prophylaxis (see Deep Venous Thrombosis, [[Deep Venous Thrombosis]])
Other Indications for Anticoagulation
Pharmacology
Synthetic Monovalent Direct Thrombin Inhibitor (see Factor IIa Inhibitors, [[Factor IIa Inhibitors]])
Elimination Half-Life: 46 min
Metabolism: predominantly hepatic
Administration
IV Drip
Monitor: PTT (note that INR is also prolonged by argatroban, but is not used to monitor anticoagulation effect with argatroban)
Transition from Argatroban to Coumadin: overlap argatroban with Coumadin for 4-5 days, aiming for INR >4, then stop argatroban and recheck INR in 6 hrs
In patients with HIT, it may be advisable to aim for INR >5