This article reviews the pharmacology and clinical evidence of the use of dabigatran etexilate (DE) in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Published data in English language were identified from MEDLINE and Current Content database (1966 to January 30, 2011) using the search terms dabigatran, VTE, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. Citations from available a...

ing number of factors, including genetic polymorphism, dietary intake, and drug and food interactions, warfarin may be diffi cult to dose, even in the seemingly uncomplicated patient. Warfarin has been found to be safe and effective in cancer patients,3 but patients with advanced cancer have an increased risk of a supratherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR).4 Active cancer is a predic...

Common treatment options for deep vein thrombosis and venous thromboembolism in the pediatric population include unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin, and warfarin. Other alternatives are bivalirudin, argatroban, and fondaparinux. Warfarin is the only approved oral option, but an oral agent without frequent monitoring would be optimal for pediatric patients. Thus, there is an in...

Effective treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) strikes a balance between prevention of recurrence and bleeding complications. The current standard of care is heparin followed by a vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin. However, this option is not without its limitations, as the anticoagulant effect of warfarin is associated with high inter- and intra-patient variability and patients must b...

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were developed to compensate for the demerits of warfarin. In Japan, three factor Xa inhibitors are used for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE): edoxaban, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. Despite problems, such as the inability to monitor their effect and the lack of an antidote, these inhibitors have the same efficacy as conventional treatment with warfa...

PURPOSE This article identifies approaches for implementing an inpatient anticoagulation program involving pharmacists; two successful inpatient anticoagulation programs previously reported in the literature are described with a discussion of steps to consider in developing or expanding such a service. SUMMARY Two institutions implemented pharmacist-managed anticoagulation services. One insti...

Patients with cancer are at significantly higher risk of developing, and dying from, venous thromboembolism (VTE). The CLOT trial demonstrated superiority of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) over warfarin for recurrent VTE and established LMWH as the standard of care for cancer-associated VTE. However, with patients living longer with metastatic cancer, long-term injections are associated w...

We randomised 250 patients undergoing unilateral, elective hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis to receive either a cemented or a non-cemented Mallory Head prosthesis. Aspirin was used as prophylaxis against thromboembolism during the first half of the study and adjusted-dose warfarin during the second half. Postoperatively, all patients were asked to have bilateral venography and 80% agreed. Al...

We conducted a literature review (1998 – July 2006) of venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurring among thalidomide or lenalidomide treated multiple myeloma patients. The overall VTE rate for thalidomide-treated multiple myeloma patients was 12% (585 reports among 4862 patients). The overall VTE rate among lenalidomide-treated multiple myeloma patients was 8% (110 reports among 1474 patients). VTE ...