Atrial fibrillation is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is a strong relationship between atrial fibrillation and aging, thromboembolism, stroke, congestive heart failure and hypertension. In addition, advanced age is a powerful risk factor for stroke and thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. For many years, vitamin K antagonists were the only approved a...

Anticoagulants remain the primary strategy for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis. Unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin, fondaparinux, and warfarin have been studied and employed extensively with direct thrombin inhibitors typically reserved for patients with complications or those requiring intervention. Novel oral anticoagulants have emerged from clinical development a...

This is a review of key factors for pharmacy and therapeutics committees to consider when developing a therapeutic interchange (TI) program for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis. Recent patient safety initiatives aimed at reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired VTE may increase the prescribing of thromboprophylactic agents recommended in VTE management guidelines. As a result, more p...

Background: No randomized study has yet compared efficacy and safety of aspirin and anticoagulants in patients with spontaneous dissection of the cervical carotid artery (sICAD). Methods: Prospectively collected data from 298 consecutive patients with sICAD (56% men; mean age 46 10 years) treated with anticoagulants alone (n 202) or aspirin alone (n 96) were retrospectively analyzed. Admission ...

Anticoagulants are widely used for the prevention and treatment of venous and arterial thrombosis. The main indications for long-term anticoagulation therapy include treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE), stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) and the prevention of valve thrombosis in patients with mechanical heart valves. For the past 65 years, vitamin K antagonists (VKA), such as w...

BACKGROUND Extracranial internal carotid artery dissection can lead to occlusion of the artery and hence cause an ischaemic stroke. It is the underlying stroke mechanism in approximately 2.5% of all strokes. It is the second leading cause of stroke in patients younger than 45 years of age. Anticoagulants or antiplatelets may prevent arterial thrombosis in extracranial internal carotid artery di...