OBJECTIVES: To examine the comparative effectiveness of heparin 5000 units given subcutaneously  twice a day or three times a day, enoxaparin 30 mg given subcutaneously twice a day, and enoxaparin 40 mg given subcutaneously daily for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in burn patients.  METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted by using the hospital claims database. All adult patients were included if they were admitted to Shands hospital between January 1, 1998 and September 30, 2008, had primary diagnoses of burn, and received either subcutaneous heparin or enoxaparin for VTE prophylaxis. The primary outcome was a VTE event, which was identified by using a previously validated ICD-9 coding algorithm and further confirmed by chart review for radiographic evidence. RESULTS: A total of 1111 patients were included.  Seven patients (0.63%) experienced VTE events: 5 (0.83%) received heparin, 1 (0.92%) received enoxaparin 30 mg, and 1 (0.25%) received enoxaparin 40 mg.  There were no incidences of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia identified in any group. CONCLUSIONS: The VTE incidence is low in burn patients receiving pharmacological prophylaxis. Both heparin and enoxaparin appear to be equally effective in preventing VTE complications in this patient population.