Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Interventional Diagnostic Procedure: A Practical Guide for the Assessment of Coronary Vascular Function
Published on: March 15, 2022
New oral anticoagulants: a practical guide for clinicians
1University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Seattle, WA, USA. akwitt@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
The search for an oral anticoagulant with acceptable efficacy and safety in the treatment and prevention of venous and arterial thromboembolism, but with practical advantages over warfarin, has been a focus of drug development for many years. Three oral agents, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, are nearing approval in the US. Their use in practice will be guided by the clinical trials available, as well as their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Practitioners need to be fully aware of these characteristics in order to use these agents appropriately in clinical practice. This review compares the results of the phase 3 trials investigating these agents in the prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, examines the reporting of bleeding complications in the trials, and highlights various practical considerations regarding their use in clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care
Venous Thrombosis IV: Nursing Management
