Treatment: anticoagulation
Anticoagulant treatment should be given for at least 3 months to all patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the absence of absolute contraindications. Several parenteral (unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparin, fondaparinux) and oral anticoagulants are currently available for the treatment of VTE according to a sequential regimen (parenteral pretreatment followed by oral anticoagulants) or to a single-drug approach (completely managed with a single anticoagulant agent). Despite similar pharmacokinetics across direct oral anticoagulants, dabigatran and edoxaban have been developed according to a sequential regimen, and apixaban and rivaroxaban according to a single-drug approach. Improved practicality (with no need for laboratory monitoring or dose adjustment) and promising safety results are the main reasons to prefer direct oral anticoagulants over conventional anticoagulation in patients without severe renal failure.