Management of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Perioperative Setting

AN INCREASING NUMBER of patients undergoing surgical procedures are treated chronically by oral anticoagulants (OAC). Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) have been standard practice in chronic anticoagulant therapy for decades. Despite a proved efficacy, they have several disadvantages. Over the past 5 years, direct oral anticoagulants (DOAs) such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban have been approved for several indications for long-term anticoagulation. Consequently, with the aging population and the extension of the indication of anticoagulation for stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), there are more cardiovascular risk patients who receive these new agents.

Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - May 24, 2015 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Olivier Untereiner, Pierre-François Seince, Vladimir Chterev, Isabelle Leblanc, Clarisse Berroëta, Patrick Bourel, Ivan Philip Tags: Review ArticlesGiovanni Landoni, MDSection Editors? > Source Type: research