Anticoagulation in Peripheral Artery Disease: Are We There Yet?

Thromboembolism in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) represents a common cause of morbidity and mortality. In this article, the authors analyse the use of anticoagulants for patients with PAD. Anticoagulants have been used to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism, but have recently b...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Alessandro Cannavale, Mariangela Santoni, Giuseppe Cannavale, Fabrizio Fanelli
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Radcliffe Medical Media 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/47387b4264574583b7114302be76c14b
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Thromboembolism in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) represents a common cause of morbidity and mortality. In this article, the authors analyse the use of anticoagulants for patients with PAD. Anticoagulants have been used to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism, but have recently been applied to the arterial circulation. Heparins were introduced to reduce short-term major adverse limb events in patients undergoing arterial revascularisation. Low molecular weight heparins have allowed easier management and carry a lower risk of bleeding than unfractioned heparin. Vitamin K anticoagulants have been tested in trials that included patients with PAD, showing an increased risk of bleeding when compared with aspirin alone, but longer patency rates for venous surgical bypass, although the evidence remains weak. Those anticoagulants are currently recommended only in patients with PAD who need anticoagulation for other diseases. Direct oral anticoagulants have only recently been investigated for use in patients with PAD. Promising results from low dose rivaroxaban plus aspirin have been recently outlined by a randomised controlled trial and supported by international guidelines.