scholarly journals The preoperative management of dabigatran and its specific antidote idarucizumab in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: Case reports

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 310-318
Author(s):  
Milan Tomić

Dabigatran is a novel oral anticoagulant preferred due to its ease of use, favorable pharmacokinetics, decreased potential for drug-drug interactions, and the lack of monitoring requirements. With the growing use of dabigatran, it is important to highlight that dabigatran increases the risk of hemorrhage after some procedures. Therefore, when dabigatran is used before the elective or urgent procedures, it is necessary to compare the thromboembolic event risk with the relative risk of bleeding. Before the approval of a reversal agent, the lack of specific antidotes had been the major limitation against the widespread utilization of dabigatran. In October 2015, idarucizumab, a humanized monoclonal antigen-binding antibody fragment capable of reversing the anticoagulant activity of dabigatran, has been introduced into the market to be used in lifethreatening bleeding or urgent surgery. In this manuscript, the preoperative management of dabigatran and the initial experience of using idarucizumab in a patient with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were described. We propose that the option of dabigatran reversal needs to be considered in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. However, additional research is needed to define optimal perioperative management of dabigatran and other novel oral anticoagulants, especially in high bleeding risk patients, and to determine whether pre-procedure coagulation testing should be performed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (02) ◽  
pp. 088-097
Author(s):  
Anwar Santoso ◽  
Sunu B. Raharjo

AbstractAtrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent arrhythmic disease, tends to foster thrombus formation due to hemodynamic disturbances, leading to severe disabling and even fatal thromboembolic diseases. Meanwhile, patients with AF may also present with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) requiring stenting, which creates a clinical dilemma considering that majority of such patients will likely receive oral anticoagulants (OACs) for stroke prevention and require additional double antiplatelet treatment (DAPT) to reduce recurrent cardiac events and in-stent thrombosis. In such cases, the gentle balance between bleeding risk and atherothromboembolic events needs to be carefully considered. Studies have shown that congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 75 years (doubled), diabetes mellitus, and previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA; doubled)–vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, sex category (female; CHA2DS2-VASc) scores outperform other scoring systems in Asian populations and that the hypertension, abnormal renal/liver function (1 point each), stroke, bleeding history or predisposition, labile international normalized ratio (INR), elderly (>65 years), drugs/alcohol concomitantly (1 point each; HAS-BLED) score, a simple clinical score that predicts bleeding risk in patients with AF, particularly among Asians, performs better than other bleeding scores. A high HAS-BLED score should not be used to rule out OAC treatment but should instead prompt clinicians to address correctable risk factors. Therefore, the current review attempted to analyze available data from patients with nonvalvular AF who underwent stenting for ACS or CAD and elaborate on the direct-acting oral anticoagulant (DOAC) and antiplatelet management among such patients. For majority of the patients, “triple therapy” comprising OAC, aspirin, and clopidogrel should be considered for 1 to 6 months following ACS. However, the optimal duration for “triple therapy” would depend on the patient's ischemic and bleeding risks, with DOACs being obviously safer than vitamin-K antagonists.


Author(s):  
Marco Franciulli ◽  
Giuseppe De Martino ◽  
Mariateresa Librera ◽  
Ahmed Desoky ◽  
Antonio Mariniello ◽  
...  

Objective In nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at high bleeding risk, oral anticoagulants (OAC) may be contraindicated, and percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) closure has been advocated. However, following percutaneous procedure, either OAC or dual antiplatelet treatment is required. In this study, we present our experience in treating nonvalvular AF patients at high bleeding risk with thoracoscopic LAA closure with no subsequent antithrombotic therapy. Methods From April 2019 to January 2020, 20 consecutive AF patients, mean age 75.1 years, 16 (80%) males, underwent thoracoscopic LAA closure as a stand-alone procedure, using an epicardial clip device. OAC and antiplatelet therapy were contraindicated. Mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.61, and the mean HAS-BLED score was 4.42. Successful LAA closure was assessed by transesophageal echocardiography. Primary endpoints were complete LAA closure (no residual LAA flow), operative complications, and all-cause mortality; secondary endpoints were 30-day and 6-month complications (death, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, transient ischemic attack, any bleeding). Mean follow-up was 6 ± 4 months. Results Complete LAA closure was achieved in all patients. No operative clip-related complications or deaths occurred. At follow-up, freedom from postoperative complications was 95% and from any cerebrovascular events was 100%. Overall survival rate was 100%. Conclusions In nonvalvular AF patients at high bleeding risk (HAS-BLED score >3), thoracoscopic LAA closure appears to be a valid alternative to percutaneous techniques not requiring dual antiplatelet or OAC treatment. Apparently, external LAA clipping minimizes the risk of thromboembolic events as compared with percutaneous procedures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-157
Author(s):  
Sandeep Nayani ◽  
Rajesh Reddy Chenna ◽  
Rajesh Reddy Sannareddy ◽  
Sandeep Bhapkar ◽  
Sonesh Kalra ◽  
...  

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants have provided an optimization of management of patients in the prevention of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. The lack of an effective reversal agent has remained a challenge to these agents’ widespread utilization. Idarucizumab, a specific reversal agent for dabigatran, is approved in many countries including India. However, there is limited data for its use for Indian patients. We are reporting one of the cases of its use in India where it successfully reversed dabigatran prior to mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke.


2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (5) ◽  
pp. 177-181
Author(s):  
Kálmán Havasi

Prevention of thromboembolism by lifelong anticoagulation is an important therapeutic goal in patients with atrial fibrillation according to recent guidelines. Major drawback of vitamin K antagonists are their narrow therapeutic range and interactions with other drugs and food. These have significant impact on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics requiring regular measurements of the international normalized ratio. Efficiency of the anticoagulant therapy depends considerably on time within the therapeutic range of prothrombin international normalized ratio. Time within the therapeutic range represents the percentage of time within the required range of prothrombin international normalized ratio. Prothrombin international normalized ratio outside the therapeutic range increases the risk of thromboembolism or bleeding according to whether it falls below or above the range. New oral anticoagulants do not require routine monitoring of anticoagulation. Their efficacy and safety are shown to be at least as good as or better than those of warfarin. In patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation ARISTOTLE study revealed that antithrombotic effect of apixaban compared with warfarin is better and with lower bleeding risk irrespective of the quality of prothrombin international normalized ratio control. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(5), 177–181.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (04) ◽  
pp. 388-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Galderisi ◽  
Luca Esposito ◽  
Valentina Trimarco ◽  
Daniela Sorriento ◽  
Guy Gerusalem ◽  
...  

AbstractCancer patients may experience nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) as a manifestation of cardiotoxicity. AF may be a direct effect of a neoplasm or, more often, appear as a postsurgical complication, especially after thoracic surgery. AF may also develop as a consequence of anticancer therapy (chemotherapy or radiotherapy), a condition probably underestimated. Cancer patients with AF require a multidisciplinary approach involving oncologists/hematologists, cardiologists, and coagulation experts. An echocardiogram should be performed to detect possible abnormalities of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, as well as left atrial dilation and the existence of valvular heart disease, to determine pretest probability of sinus rhythm restoration, and identify the best treatment. The choice of antiarrhythmic treatment in cancer patients may be difficult because scanty information is available on the interactions between anticancer agents and antiarrhythmic drugs. A careful evaluation of the antithrombotic strategy with the best efficacy/safety ratio is always needed. The use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) may be problematic because of the unpredictable therapeutic response and high bleeding risk in patients with active cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy and who may experience thrombocytopenia and changes in renal or hepatic function. Low molecular weight heparins (in particular for short and intermediate periods) and non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs) should be preferred. However, the possible pharmacological interactions of NOACs with both anticancer and antiarrhythmic drugs should be considered. Based on all these considerations, antiarrhythmic and anticoagulant therapy for AF should be tailored individually for each patient.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (9_suppl) ◽  
pp. 194S-201S ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Kyriakou ◽  
Konstantinos Katogiannis ◽  
Ignatios Ikonomidis ◽  
George Giallouros ◽  
Georgios K. Nikolopoulos ◽  
...  

Our aim is to determine the most appropriate laboratory tests, besides anti-factor Xa (anti-FXa) chromogenic assays, to estimate the degree of anticoagulation with apixaban and compare it with that of rivaroxaban in real-world patients. Twenty patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation treated with apixaban 5 mg twice daily and 20 patients on rivaroxaban 20 mg once daily were studied. Conventional coagulation tests, thrombin generation assay (TGA), and thromboelastometry (nonactivated TEM [NATEM] assay) were performed in the 40 patients and 20 controls. The anti-FXa chromogenic assays were used to measure apixaban and rivaroxaban plasma levels. The NATEM measurements showed no significant difference between the 2 groups of patients. Concerning TGA, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) was significantly decreased in patients on rivaroxaban as compared to those treated with apixaban ( P < .003). A statistically significant, strong inverse correlation between apixaban plasma concentrations and ETP ( P < .001) was observed. Apixaban significantly reduces ETP compared to controls, but to a lesser extent than rivaroxaban. Thrombin generation assay might provide additional information on apixaban exposure, which is required in order to individualize treatment especially for patients with a high bleeding risk. Our findings have to be further investigated in studies with larger sample sizes, in the entire range of apixaban exposure, with other direct oral anticoagulants, and in relation to clinical outcomes.


Pharmacy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo Min Jang ◽  
Khaled Bahjri ◽  
Huyentran Tran

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are gaining popularity for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) for stroke prevention. Less bleeding risk with comparable stroke prevention compared to warfarin was shown. DOACs have predictable anticoagulant effects, infrequent monitoring requirements and less drug-food interactions compared to warfarin. However, safety and efficacy data of DOACs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are limited. This is a retrospective study to evaluate thromboembolic and bleeding events in patients with AF (with/without CKD) in October 2010 and July 2017. A total of 495 patients were included and only 150 patients had CKD. Our study found that patients with renal impairment on a DOAC do not have a higher incidence of bleeding events. It showed significant increase in thromboembolic events in CKD patients with dabigatran compared to CKD patients with apixaban with odds ratio of 6.58 (95%CI 1.35–32.02, p = 0.02).


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-16
Author(s):  
S. Moiseev

Tareev Clinic of Internal Diseases, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia Management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) includes anticoagulation for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism, improvement of AF-related symptoms by rate or rhythm control, and treatment for cardiovascular and other comorbidities. The structured characterization of AF should address four AF-related domains, that is, stroke risk, symptom severity, AF burden (type of AF, number and duration of episodes, etc.), and substrate severity. Various scores, i.e.CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc (stroke risk), HAS-BLED (bleeding risk), EHRA (severity of AF-related symptoms), and 2MACE (risk of cardiovascular events), can be used to estimate the risk of outcomes and for treatment decisions. Noteworthy, bleeding risk assessment using HAS-BLED score focuses attention on modifiable risk factors that should be managed to improve safety of anticoagulation, whereas a high bleeding risk score should not lead to withholding oral anticoagulants. New clini- cal and biomarker-based risk scores were developed. However, their potential advantages over existing scores should be confirmed in clinical studies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document