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- De Caterina, Raffaele, et al.
(author)
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Oral anticoagulants in coronary heart disease (Section IV) Position paper of the ESC Working Group on Thrombosis - Task Force on Anticoagulants in Heart Disease
- 2016
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In: Thrombosis and Haemostasis. - 0340-6245 .- 2567-689X. ; 115:4, s. 685-711
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Until recently, vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) were the only available oral anticoagulants evaluated for long-term treatment of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), particularly after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Despite efficacy in this setting, VKAs are rarely used because they are cumbersome to administer. Instead, the more readily manageable antiplatelet agents are the mainstay of prevention in ACS patients. This situation has the potential to change with the introduction of non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs), which are easier to administer than VKAs because they can be given in fixed doses without routine coagulation monitoring. The NOACs include dabigatran, which inhibits thrombin, and apixaban, rivaroxaban and edoxaban, which inhibit factor Xa. Apixaban and rivaroxaban were evaluated in phase III trials for prevention of recurrent ischaemia in ACS patients, most of whom were also receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel. Although at the doses tested rivaroxaban was effective and apixaban was not, both agents increased major bleeding. The role for the NOACs in ACS management, although promising, is therefore complicated, because it is uncertain how they compare with newer antiplatelet agents, such as prasugrel, ticagrelor or vorapaxar, and because their safety in combination with these other drugs is unknown. Ongoing studies are also now evaluating the use of NOACs in non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients, where their role is established, with coexistent ACS or coronary stenting. Focusing on CHD, we review the results of clinical trials with the NOACs and provide a perspective on their future incorporation into clinical practice.
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| 2. |
- Patti, Giuseppe, et al.
(author)
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Platelet Indices and Risk of Death and Cardiovascular Events : Results from a Large Population-Based Cohort Study
- 2019
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In: Thrombosis and Haemostasis. - : Georg Thieme Verlag KG. - 0340-6245 .- 2567-689X. ; 119:11, s. 1773-1784
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studies evaluating the relationship between platelet indices and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes yielded conflicting results. We assessed the incidence of adverse events according to baseline quintiles of platelet indices in the prospective cohort of the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. A total of 30,314 individuals (age 57 ± 8 years) were followed for a median of 16 years (468,490 person-years). Outcome measures included all-cause death, CV death, myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemic stroke. The fifth quintile of platelet count (> 274.6 × 109/L) was associated with higher incidence of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.32, p < 0.001), CV death (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.00-1.42; p = 0.044), MI (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.12-1.54; p = 0.001), and ischemic stroke (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.08-1.50, p = 0.004) compared with the first quintile (≤ 185 × 109/L), and also associated with a lower survival, regardless of previous history of MI (p for interaction = 0.58) or stroke (p for interaction = 0.42). In the highest quintile, history of stroke had a higher risk of CV death (HR 3.18, 95% CI 1.54-6.54) compared with no previous stroke (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.96-1.31). The risk of MI and stroke was greatest in the fifth quintile, regardless of previous MI or previous stroke, respectively. The risk of all adverse events was similar across different quintiles of mean platelet volume. In conclusion, elevated platelet count is associated with higher mortality and risk of CV events, regardless of previous MI and stroke. Platelet count may thus be a useful marker for further stratification of CV risk, and especially of death.
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