WHAT DO CARDIOLOGISTS WANT FORM ANTICOAGU LANT TREATMENTS

Anticoagulant therapy with heparins or oral vitamin K antagonists and antiplatelet therapy are widely used in cardiology. There is current c onsensus as to when these medications should be used and how the patie nts who use them should be monitored. Recommendations should be adhere d to scrupulously to ensure optimal efficacy. Thromboembolism and blee ding sometimes occur in patients receiving optimal anticoagulant or an tiplatelet therapy. Some cases of bleeding are ascribable to use of hi gh doses in an attempt to avert devastating thrombotic events. Most, h owever, are due to failure to adhere to basic rules for prescribing an d monitoring anticoagulant and antiplatelet drug therapy. In some inst ances, the treatment is used in patients with a low or negligible risk of thrombosis, making the occurrence of adverse effects particularly unacceptable. Thus, there is still room for further optimizing the use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents. Low-molecular-weight hepari ns, antiplatelet agents, or various combinations of drugs may be most appropriate in some patients. Development of more effective and/or saf er agents is impatiently awaited.