Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly being used due to their improved efficacy/safety ratio and lower clinical and economic burden when compared to vitamin K antagonists. However, bleeding is still the most frequent complication associated with DOACs, and although rare, bleeding episodes can be life-threatening or critical. The impact of DOAC anticoagulation activity during a bleeding event must be evaluated according to patient clinical assessment, dosage and time from last intake, the presence of comorbidities (especially kidney and liver dysfunction), and, whenever possible, coagulation tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Port Cardiol (Engl Ed)
August 2021
Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in the adult population worldwide, represents a significant burden in terms of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity and has repercussions on health economics. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) is key to stroke prevention in AF and, in recent years, results from landmark clinical trials of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOAC) have triggered a paradigm shift in thrombocardiology. Despite these advances, there is still a significant residual vascular risk associated with silent AF, bleeding, premature sudden death and heart failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Pediatric pulmonary embolism (PE) is rare but associated with adverse outcomes. We aimed to characterize PE cases admitted in a tertiary hospital and to evaluate sensitivity of selected PE diagnostic prediction tools.
Methods: Retrospective, descriptive study of PE cases admitted from 2008 to 2020 using data collected from hospital records.