Comparison of two escalated enoxaparin dosing regimens for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in obese hospitalized patients

Standard fixed-dose enoxaparin dosing regimens may not provide adequate prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism among obese hospitalized patients. While several escalated doses have been shown to result in more frequent attainment of target anti-factor Xa levels than standard doses, few studies compare escalated doses to each other. In this prospective, multi-center trial, enoxaparin 0.5 mg/kg daily (weight-based dosing) and enoxaparin 40 mg twice daily were compared to determine if either dose resulted in more frequent attainment of anti-factor Xa levels within the goal range of 0.2–0.5 IU/mL. Eighty patients with a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m² were enrolled. There was no difference in the percent of patients achieving goal anti-factor Xa levels (72.5% vs. 70.0%, respectively; p = 0.72). Patients were more likely to attain anti-factor Xa levels below goal range than above. No bleeding or thrombotic events occurred. Either weight-based or twice-daily escalated enoxaparin dosing regimens appear effective at achieving target anti-factor Xa levels among hospitalized patients, and no safety events were noted. Future studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of this result.