Successful treatment with rivaroxaban of an extended deep vein thrombosis complicated by pulmonary embolism in a patient with familial antithrombin III deficiency: a case report.

Background: Patients with low levels of antithrombin III (AT III) are at an increased risk of developing arteriovenous thromboembolic disease.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 28-year-old woman who presented with a 1-week history of spontaneous right calf pain and swelling. A heterozygous AT III deficiency, phenotypically expressed as deep vein thrombosis, was reported in the patient's mother and sister.

The effect of physical exercise on endothelial function.

Endothelium is essential for maintenance of health of the vessel wall and for the local regulation of vascular tone and structure and haemostasis. Regular physical exercise, which is known to promote a favourable cardiovascular state, may improve endothelial function via several mechanisms. Indeed, it augments blood flow and laminar shear stress, resulting in increased nitric oxide production and bioavailability.

Surgical bleeding after pre-operative unfractionated heparin and low molecular weight heparin for coronary bypass surgery.

Background And Objectives: Since the impairment of platelet function may cause excess peri-operative bleeding, pre-operative discontinuation of aspirin and heparin bridging are common for cardiac surgery. We evaluated the impact of pre-operative administration of enoxaparin and unfractionated heparin (UFH) on coagulation parameters and peri-operative bleeding in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery after discontinuation of aspirin.

Design And Methods: Forty-three patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing elective CABG surgery discontinued aspirin and were randomized to receive either UFH 180 UI/Kg x 2/day s.

Aspirin overprescription in primary cardiovascular prevention.

Introduction: Aspirin overprescription is of some concern, especially in still-healthy individuals, and estimates of the magnitude of this problem are lacking. We evaluated the inappropriateness of aspirin prescription by primary care physicians in primary cardiovascular prevention.

Materials And Methods: Out of 20,599 patients screened by 16 primary care physicians in the Abruzzi region, central Italy, 400 patients were on treatment with aspirin for primary prevention.