Tinzaparin in the treatment of venous thromboembolism.

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) has been widely used for the initial treatment of patients presenting with venous thromboembolism. The LMWH, tinzaparin, has been shown in randomised clinical trials to be as effective and safe as unfractionated heparin for the initial treatment of venous thromboembolism and in clinical trials, it has been used in place of warfarin for the long-term treatment of deep vein thrombosis. Tinzaparin can safely be given to patients with significant renal impairment (creatinine clearance of > or = 20 ml/min) and the dose of tinzaparin does not need to be altered in patients with a body mass index of > 25.