Antithrombotics today

Over the last 10 years some new drugs affecting blood clotting - antithrombotics - were invented. For more than half a century only warfarin and heparin were available. A better understanding of the pathways involved in activation of blood clotting, the links between these systems, and the impact of thrombosis on inflammation, have led to identification of new targets and development of new drugs, especially new antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants. With the advent of new drugs into clinical practice, treatment options of thrombotic complications are expanding. However, it is always necessary to get familiar with the drug and its properties and to know its limitations. This is the only way to offer patients the best practices. Key words: anticoagulant - antithrombotic - Direct Oral AntiCoagulant (DOAC) - laboratory monitoring - Low-Molecu-lar-Weight Heparins (LMWH) - New Oral Anticoagulants/Non-vitamin K Oral AntiCoagulants (NOAC) - unfractionated heparin (UFH) - warfarin.