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Published on: February 28, 2012
Two new antithrombotic agents (fondaparinux and ximelagatran) and their implications in anesthesia
Philippe de Moerloose1, Françoise Boehlen
1Division of Angiology and Hemostasis, Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. philippe.deMoerloose@hcuge.ch
Purpose:
To describe two new antithrombotic agents (fondaparinux and ximelagatran), their mechanisms of action, the clinical studies available and some implications (regional anesthesia, monitoring and antidote) in anesthesia.
Source:
Recently published articles on these two new drugs were reviewed.
Principal Findings:
These two drugs have several interesting properties. Both are of non animal origin, do not induce thrombocytopenia and do not require laboratory controls. In recent studies fondaparinux has shown a better efficacy than low molecular weight heparin in major orthopedic interventions. Ximelagatran, which can be given orally and is in phase III investigation, could replace vitamin K antagonist in the future.
Conclusion:
Anesthesiologists should be aware of these two new agents, one (fondaparinux) being now already registered in some countries.
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