Commentary: Direct oral anticoagulants in heart surgery: A  question in need of an answer

The Invited Expert Opinion by Drs Kapadia and Svensson1 is focused on an important clinical challenge of whether direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) can be used in patients with bioprosthetic valves who have atrial fibrillation (AF). Recommendations for anticoagulation therapy should focus on potential risks of early postoperative bleeding with DOAC treatment and not only on its long-term superiority over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for stroke prevention in patients with AF, with or without a bioprosthetic valve.
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research