Antiplatelet drugs in the elderly: prescriptions often inappropriate and reduced tolerance by associated diseases and drugs.

To assess the conditions of prescriptions and tolerance of antiplatelet drugs (APD) in the elderly and to detail the parameters that influence the tolerance of these drugs. Prospective survey in a Department of Geriatric Medicine. Two hundred nineteen patients 70 years and older treated with one or two APD prior to admission were included during 7 months in 2008.

Which parameters differ in very old patients with chronic atrial fibrillation treated by anticoagulant or aspirin? Antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation in the elderly.

The objective was to determine the main parameters taken into account for the decision of antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) by vitamin K antagonist or aspirin. This was a prospective clinical study of four clinical services of geriatric medicine. Two hundred and nine inpatients, 84.

Intracardiac thrombi in primary antiphospholipid syndrome: two case reports.

We describe two patients who developed stroke and ischemia of the left lower limb, related to intracardiac thrombi, as the first manifestation of primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS). Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed intracardiac thrombi as abnormal hyperechogenic, nonmobile masses, firmly attached to the left atrial appendage and the anterior part of the mitral annulus, respectively. Our patients received high-intensity oral anticoagulant therapy (INR 3.

[Inappropriate prescription of heparin at curative doses in the hospital. Can the information to prescribing physicians decrease misuse?].

Objectives: To control whether prescriptions of curative doses of heparin (non fractioned heparins, enoxaparin, tinzaparin) in the hospital complied with the official recommendations; to provide the physicians with information adapted to the recorded misuse and to evaluate the influence of this information.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted between May and October 1999 on the prescriptions of 20 residents from 6 services in 3 phases: phase P1 with initial evaluation (particularly on the indications for heparin, the molecule administered, initial dose and monitoring), phase P2 with analysis and diffusion of an adapted information and phase P3 with final evaluation.

Results: 111 inpatients were included in the phase P1 (66.