BACKGROUND Antiplatelet agents produce a small, but worthwhile benefit in long-term functional outcome and survival, and have become standard treatment for acute ischaemic stroke. Anticoagulants are often used as an alternative treatment, despite evidence that they are ineffective in producing long-term benefits. We wanted to review trials which have directly compared anticoagulants and antipla...

Due to its constantly growing incidence, obesity is an increasingly serious social and medical problem. Available data on the use of novel oral anticoagulants in morbidly obese and obese patients are very limited. However, we tried to summarize the available knowledge on the use of anticoagulants in this subpopulation of patients in everyday clinical practice. Studies on the clinical use of ant...

Anticoagulation therapy is mandatory in patients with pulmonary embolism to prevent significant morbidity and mortality. The mainstay of therapy has been vitamin-K antagonist therapy bridged with parenteral anticoagulants. The recent approval of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs: apixaban, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban) has generated significant interest in their role in managing venous thromboembol...

Although no doubt an oversimplification, in many respects, a significant portion of cardiovascular trials in the late 1990s and early 2000s demonstrated that whether we do not clot we do not die as long as we do not bleed to death. These trials were focused on novel anticoagulants targeting platelets and thrombin-mediated thrombosis. These studies focused on potent anticoagulants that ultimatel...

The newer oral anticoagulants including dabigatran, rivaraxoban, apixaban and edoxaban are replacing warfarin in the management of atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism. Accidental and surreptitious overdose of warfarin has been reported, but so far there is no reported case of overdose involving NOACs. Overdose of warfarin prolongs coagulation tests including PT and APTT. This gives a...