Thrombosis research
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Thrombosis research · Feb 2015
ReviewTranexamic acid--an old drug still going strong and making a revival.
Experience with tranexamic acid, an indirect fibrinolytic inhibitor, started as soon as it was released from Shosuke Okamoto's lab in the early 1960s. It was first prescribed to females with heavy menstrual blood loss and to patients with hereditary bleeding disorders. Soon the indications were widened to elective surgery because of its blood saving effects. ⋯ Of utmost importance is the ongoing WOMAN (World Maternal Antifibrinolytic) a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial among 15,000 with clinical diagnosis of postpartum haemorrhage bearing in mind that each year a large number of women in low and middle income countries, die from causes related to childbirth. In summary, we consider tranexamic acid is a drug of great value to reduce almost any kind of bleeding, it is cheap and convenient to use and has principally few contraindications. It may be added, that tranexamic acid is included in the WHOs list of essential medicines.
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Thrombosis research · Feb 2015
ReviewNew anticoagulants in the management of venous thromboembolism in women.
Objective diagnosis and treatment are important in optimizing clinical outcomes in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), and anticoagulants are the mainstay of treatment. Traditionally, anticoagulant therapy involves parenteral anticoagulants, overlapping with and followed by oral vitamin K antagonists. Recently, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), including the Factor Xa inhibitors rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban, and the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate, have been developed to address limitations associated with traditional anticoagulant therapy. ⋯ Successful phase III trials have demonstrated their efficacy for the treatment of DVT and PE, with a potentially improved safety profile. Recent evidence suggests that women bleed more compared to men when treated with DOACs for VTE without differences in treatment efficacy. Future clinical trials should include outcomes stratified by sex, and should investigate the clinical impact of this sex-related safety difference.
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Thrombosis research · Jan 2015
ReviewA systematic review of prothrombin complex concentrate dosing strategies to reverse vitamin K antagonist therapy.
Management of patients with a major bleed while on vitamin K antagonist (VKA) is a common clinical challenge. Prothrombin Complex Concentrates (PCC) provide a rapid reversal of VKA induced coagulopathy. However, a well-defined PCC dosing strategy, especially in emergency setting, is still lacking. ⋯ We found no evidence that one dosing strategy is superior. Future studies should be designed to investigate if body weight and INR are relevant for PCC dosing. In these, we need uniform outcome definitions.
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Thrombosis research · Jan 2015
Review Meta AnalysisHow safe is acetaminophen use in patients treated with vitamin K antagonists? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Acetaminophen is a commonly prescribed and over-the-count used drug, and is considered to be the preferred treatment choice for anticoagulated patients requiring analgesic drug therapy. However, observational data have suggested that this drug combination may increase the International Normalized Ratio (INR) values and bleeding events in patients taking Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Still, the clinical impact of this putative effect remains unknown. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to estimate the impact of concomitant use of acetaminophen and VKA in the INR measurements ⋯ Acetaminophen is associated with a statistically significant and possible clinically relevant increase in the INR, with a dose dependent relationship. Patients treated concomitantly with VKA and acetaminophen should be monitored more regularly for possible VKA dosage adjustment.
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Thrombosis research · Dec 2014
Review Meta AnalysisThrombolysis in hemodynamically stable patients with acute pulmonary embolism: a meta-analysis.
The role of thrombolysis in hemodynamically stable patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized trials to assess the effect of thrombolysis in these patients. ⋯ Due to increased risk for MB and ICH with no evidence of reduction in mortality, thrombolysis should not be used for most normotensive PE patients.