No abstract available.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Dabigatran* ; Warfarin*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stroke* ; Thrombosis* ; dabigatran

Dabigatran ; Drug Eruptions ; Humans

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious, immune mediated complication of exposure to unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparin. Though rare, it is a condition associated with high morbidity and mortality that requires immediate change to alternative anticoagulants for the prevention of life-threatening thrombosis. The direct thrombin inhibitors lepirudin and argatroban are currently licensed for the treatment of HIT. Dabigatran, a novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) with a similar mechanism of action and effective use in other indications, has recently been proposed as another therapeutic option in cases of HIT. This review serves as an introduction to using dabigatran for this purpose, detailing the clinical aspects of its administration, evidence of its performance compared to other anticoagulants, and the preliminary reports of HIT successfully treated with dabigatran. As the literature on this develops, it will need to include clinical trials that directly evaluate dabigatran against the other NOACs and current treatment options.
Anticoagulants ; Antithrombins ; Dabigatran* ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; Mortality ; Thrombocytopenia* ; Thrombosis

Cardioversion increases the risk for stroke or systemic embolic events, and patients scheduled for cardioversions need several weeks of anticoagulant treatment to prevent these adverse events. Anticoagulant therapy should be considered as a balancing act between the risk of stroke and the risk of life-threatening bleeding. The efficacy of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) was found to be equal to, or even superior, to warfarin for the prevention of stroke, systemic embolism, and other outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation, when all risk factors were considered. There have been few studies independently looking at the efficacy and safety profile of NOACs in cardioversion. The efficacy of both rivaroxaban and dabigatran in preventing stroke or major systemic embolic events post-cardioversion was found to be similar to that of warfarin. The efficacy of apixaban could not be compared based on the available data because of the limited number of procedures performed. However, all three NOACs were found to be safe for use in cardioversion when compared to warfarin.
Anticoagulants ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Dabigatran ; Electric Countershock* ; Embolism ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Rivaroxaban ; Stroke ; Warfarin

INTRODUCTIONNovel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have at least equivalent efficacy compared to standard anticoagulants with similar bleeding risk. Optimal management strategies for bleeding complications associated with NOACs are currently unestablished.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA working group comprising haematologists and vascular medicine specialists representing the major institutions in Singapore was convened to produce this consensus recommendation. A Medline and EMBASE search was conducted for articles related to the 3 available NOACs (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban), bleeding and its management. Additional information was obtained from the product monographs and bibliographic search of articles identified.

RESULTSThe NOACs still has substantial interactions with a number of drugs for which concomitant administration should best be avoided. As they are renally excreted, albeit to different degrees, NOACs should not be prescribed to patients with creatinine clearance of <30 mLs/min. Meticulous consideration of risk versus benefits should be exercised before starting a patient on a NOAC. In patients presenting with bleeding, risk stratification of the severity of bleeding as well as identification of the source of bleeding should be performed. In life-threatening bleeds, recombinant activated factor VIIa and prothrombin complex may be considered although their effectiveness is currently unsupported by firm clinical evidence. The NOACs have varying effect on the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time which has to be interpreted with caution. Routine monitoring of drug level is not usually required.

CONCLUSIONNOACs are an important advancement in antithrombotic management and careful patient selection and monitoring will permit optimisation of their potential and limit bleeding events.

Administration, Oral ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Benzimidazoles ; Consensus ; Dabigatran ; Hemorrhage ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Singapore ; Thiophenes

Only anticoagulation has been shown to reduce atrial fibrillation-related deaths. Vitamin K antagonists are difficult to use due to their narrow therapeutic range, unpredictable response, requirement for frequent coagulation monitoring, frequent dose adjustment, slow onset-offset, and numerous drug-drug and drug-food interactions. New oral anticoagulants (NOACs), such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban have been developed and are available in Korea, and edoxaban was shown to be effective and safe, also. NOACs showed better pharmacodynamics with predictable serum concentrations and effects, and no requirement for coagulation monitoring. These drugs have been shown to be more effective and safer than warfarin for prevention of stroke and systemic thromboembolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Broad, appropriate, and aggressive use of NOACs would improve the results of treatment in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in Korea.
Anticoagulants* ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Food-Drug Interactions ; Humans ; Korea ; Stroke* ; Thromboembolism ; Vitamin K ; Warfarin ; Dabigatran ; Rivaroxaban

Anticoagulant-related nephropathy (ARN) was initially described in patients on warfarin (as warfarin-related nephropathy) and recently in those using dabigatran. Herein, we report clinical history and kidney biopsy findings in a patient on apixaban (Eliquis). Initiation of treatment with apixaban resulted in aggravation of preexisting mild acute kidney injury (AKI). A few days after apixaban therapy, the patient became oligoanuric, and kidney biopsy showed severe acute tubular necrosis with numerous occlusive red blood cell casts. Only one out of 68 glomeruli with open capillary loops had small segmental cellular crescent. Therefore, there was major discrepancy between the degree of glomerular injury and the glomerular hematuria. Considering that the onset of this AKI was associated with apixaban treatment initiation, we propose that this patient had ARN associated with factor Xa inhibitor (apixaban), which has not previously been described. Monitoring of kidney function is recommended after initiation of anticoagulant therapy.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Biopsy ; Capillaries ; Dabigatran ; Erythrocytes ; Factor Xa ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Kidney ; Necrosis ; Warfarin

Oral anticoagulants play an important role in the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic diseases.Warfarin,a traditional oral anticoagulant,is limited in clinical use due to its limitations such as narrow therapeutic window and requirements on frequent monitoring and dose adjustment.Direct oral anticoagulants(DOACs)such as dabigatran,rivaroxaban,apixaban,and edoxaban are increasingly used to prevent and treat venous thrombosis or thrombus formation.However,recent studies have documented inter-individual variability in plasma drug levels of DOACs.This article summarizes the recent advances in the pharmacogenomics of DOACs.
Administration, Oral ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Dabigatran ; Pharmacogenetics ; Rivaroxaban

Abdominal Injuries ; Antithrombins/adverse effects* ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Dabigatran/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Thoracic Injuries