1,721,105 research outputs found
An update on the pharmaceutical management of thrombosis
No full textIntroduction: Anticoagulants such as heparins and vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are effective for thrombosis prevention and treatment, but are associated with the risk of bleeding and other limitations, spurring the search for improved drugs.Areas covered: to evaluate the newer anticoagulants, focusing on those tested in phase III clinical trials such as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) and warfarin analogues. DOACs such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban are licensed for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and treatment of venous thromboembolism, dabigatran, rivaroxabnd apixaban for postoperative thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing elective hip or knee arthroplasty and rivaroxaban for secondary prevention of acute coronary syndromes. ASO interfering with Factor XI hepatic synthesis were effective and safe for thromboprophylaxis in elective knee arthroplasty.Expert opinion: DOACs have overcome some limitations of anticoagulants such as VKA, but are still associated with a risk of bleeding and they lack both standardized and widely available tests measuring their anticoagulant effect and a reversal agent, except for idarucizumab, specific for dabigatran, in case of major or life threatening bleeding or emergency surgery. Agents targeting Factor XI and possibly Factor XII may be ideal anticoagulants, as they can prevent thrombosis with low bleeding risk
Management of idiopathic venous thromboembolism
No full textntroduction: Idiopathic or unprovoked venous thromboembolism is an event occurring in the absence of any apparent provoking or triggering environmental risk factors, such as surgery, trauma, and immobilization.
Areas covered: Unprovoked VTE can be associated with occult cancer, but only limited, and not extensive cancer screening, may be warranted, as the rate of occult cancer is low in such patients. Routine thrombophilia testing is not currently recommended as it does not influence the management of the disease. The duration of anticoagulation for unprovoked VTE after the first three months is still debated as the disease tends to recur regardless of treatment duration.
Expert commentary: Prognostic scores incorporating patient related risk factors, such as age and sex, and global markers of hypercoagulability, such as D-dimer, have been proposed for identifying high risk patients who are candidates for extended anticoagulation beyond three months. Direct oral anticoagulants, aspirin and sulodexide could be alternative to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for long term treatment in such patients. The most up to date guidelines suggest DOACs over VKA for non-cancer VTE in the first three months and also long-term in subjects at low or moderate risk of bleeding, albeit with grade 2B strength of recommendation
Superficial Vein Thrombosis: New Perspectives and Observations From Recent Clinical Trials
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Review: recombinant factor VIIa does not differ from placebo for prevention or treatment of bleeding in patients without hemophilia
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Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: new insights into the immune response
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Current management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
No full textHeparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune adverse reaction to
heparin (both unfractionated and low-molecular-weight), which is
mediated by the formation of IgG antibodies against platelet factor
4-heparin complexes. The IgG/platelet factor 4 immunocomplexes activate
platelets with resulting thrombocytopenia, which is not associated with
bleeding, but with paradoxical life-threatening thrombotic
complications, for coagulation activation. HIT diagnosis requires the
assessment of pre-test clinical probability in combination with the
measurement of platelet activating antibodies against platelet factor
4-heparin complexes with immunological and functional assays. When HIT
is diagnosed, any form of heparin should be stopped and a non-heparin
alternative anticoagulant should be started. Argatroban and danaparoid
are currently the only drugs licensed for HIT, with different country
availability. Bivalirudin is an option in cardiac surgery and procedures
in HIT patients
Failure of Fondaparinux in Autoimmune Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
Full text linkHeparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune adverse reaction to heparin that is associated with life-threatening thrombotic complications. More rarely, HIT may begin after stopping of heparin or after flushes of heparin (autoimmune HIT). Fondaparinux has been proposed as a candidate treatment for HIT, but there are few data on its use in autoimmune HIT. An 86-year-old man with a history of diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia was admitted to our hospital for carotid endarterectomy. During surgery, only one heparin dose of 5,000 U was used. Platelet count started to decrease on the 11th day after surgery. Since the patient was not receiving heparin treatment/prophylaxis, HIT was not suspected. On day 19, platelet count was 61*10 3 /muL, and the patient was investigated for a diagnosis of HIT. Immunoglobulin (Ig)-G-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was positive and HIT was confirmed by a platelet aggregation test; fondaparinux 5mg once a day was started. During fondaparinux treatment, platelet count did not increase and a lower leg deep vein thrombosis occurred. Fondaparinux was stopped and rivaroxaban 15mg twice a day was started. Platelet count returned to base line after 10 days from fondaparinux withdrawal. There was no thrombotic event or bleeding complication during rivaroxaban treatment. Anecdotal evidence suggests risk of failure of fondaparinux treatment for autoimmune HIT and supports the use of rivaroxaban for treatment of HIT, justifying larger studies
Transitioning between therapeutic anticoagulants: a clinicians guide to switching patients to or from DOAC therapy
No full textA literature search was conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar, and UpToDate up to March 2024 for conditions and approaches for transitioning from one agent to the other. No randomized clinical trials were retrieved except for two studies regarding switching to DOAC in well-conducted vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy. A narrative review was conducted addressing the conditions for switching from one agent to the other, such as thromboembolic events and major bleeding during anticoagulation, development or worsening of kidney or liver failure, initiation of interfering drugs, adverse events such as allergic reactions, frailty, patients' preferences, and affordability. During transitions from one anticoagulant to the other, the risk of both thromboembolic and bleeding complications should be minimized. The current approaches for such transitions are derived from those employed in clinical trials evaluating DOAC and from product information.
Expert opinion: Many uncertainties remain regarding those circumstances requiring a change in anticoagulant strategies, as they lack evidence-based guidance. It can be envisaged that the problem of switching to and from DOAC will need additional studies especially addressing the conditions and the best approach to such transitions
Oral anticoagulant therapy in venous thromboembolism
No full textThe main objective of treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the prevention of the extension, embolization, and recurrence of thrombosis. The long-term aim is to prevent late recurrences and the post-thrombotic syndrome. Heparin and oral anticoagulants (OACs) have been the cornerstones of VTE treatment in the last 30 years. Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) have been introduced more recently in the treatment of the acute phase of VTE, and they have allowed the home treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in selected cases. The optimal duration of OAC therapy after VTE is still controversial. Several studies have been conducted, and several are ongoing with the aim to stratify patients into risk categories for recurrence. Patients at high risk are candidates for long-term oral anticoagulation as the benefits of extended oral anticoagulation would outweigh the risk of bleeding. Patients are currently stratified into risk categories on the basis of clinical characteristics of the VTE event: (1) first or recurrent event; (2) idiopathic or due to a transient risk factor such as surgery, trauma, hormonal therapy, or immobilization; (3) presence of active cancer; (4) location (proximal DVT and/or pulmonary embolism, PE, or distal DVT); and (5) presence of known hereditary or acquired thrombophilia. Patients with distal VTE or VTE due to a transient risk factor are at a low risk of recurrence and short-term anticoagulation is indicated (3 months). Patients with an idiopathic event or with known thrombophilic defects such as FV Leiden or the G20210A prothrombin mutation are candidates for a longer course of therapy (6 months). Patients with cancer, antiphospholipid antibodies syndrome, recurrent idiopathic event, antithrombin deficiency, protein C or protein S deficiency, homozygosity for FV Leiden, and double heterozygosity are candidates for extended long-term anticoagulation. More recently, studies have indicated that other factors such as D-dimer levels after the discontinuation of OAC therapy or the residual vein thrombosis could be additional predictive factors for recurrences. In patients with VTE and cancer, oral anticoagulation poses a higher risk of bleeding, and such patients are more prone to recurrences. Alternative treatment with LMWH could be safer and more effective in these patients
D-Dimer testing for predictive recurrence risk in venous thromboembolism: looking for a useful threshold: reply to a rebuttal.
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