Management of patients on long-term oral anticoagulant therapy undergoing elective surgery: survey of the clinical practice in the Italian anticoagulation clinics.

In the perioperative management of patients on long-term oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy the problem is balancing the thromboembolic (TER) and the haemorrhagic risk (HR) in the perioperative period. The Federazione Centri per la diagnosi della trombosi e la Sorveglianza delle terapie Antitrombotiche (FCSA) activated an online registry from November 2001 to August 2003 in order to collect information on the management of these patients in Italy. Four hundred and eleven patients, undergoing elective major (18%) and minor surgery (82%), from 7 centres, were registered.

Critical bleeding in pregnancy: a novel therapeutic approach to bleeding.

Aim: In the developed countries the frequency of life threatening post-partum hemorrhages (PPH) is 1 in 1,000 deliveries with a risk of death of 1-2/100,000 deliveries. Hysterectomies for intractable bleeding are carried out in approximately 50% of the cases. The majority of PPH have obstetrical causes, most frequently atony of the uterus.