Summary

Acute thrombocytopenias are common clinical problemsof diverse etiologies and paradoxically, some of themost dramatic forms are iatrogenic in nature (1). For example,drugs that are given to patients to treat or prevent arterialor venous thrombosis (such as heparin, abciximab, and otheragents that block the platelet integrin receptor aIIbß3) can causeimmune reactions that lead to life-threatening situations (1-8).The specific drug implicated as the cause of an individual patient’sthrombocytopenia is an important issue to sort out, andthis is commonly done by evaluating the clinical scenario andexcluding potential causes (1, 3). Laboratory tests have providedinformation about the causes and mechanisms of drug-inducedthrombocytopenia (1, 3). However, the results of such . . .