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Interventional Diagnostic Procedure: A Practical Guide for the Assessment of Coronary Vascular Function
Published on: March 15, 2022
Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients Undergoing Cardiac Electrophysiological and Interventional Procedures: JACC
Luigi Di Biase1, Dhanunjaya J Lakkireddy2, Jacopo Marazzato1
1Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Montefiore-Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Insights
Managing antithrombotic therapy in cardiac procedures is complex, especially for older adults. This review offers practical guidance on balancing stroke prevention with bleeding risk in electrophysiology and interventional cardiology.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are often managed with electrophysiological and interventional procedures.
- Antithrombotic therapies are crucial for preventing thromboembolic events but increase bleeding risk.
- The aging population and combined antithrombotic regimens exacerbate hemorrhagic risks in cardiac procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a practical, evidence-based summary of antithrombotic strategies for cardiac procedures.
- To clarify the complex landscape of antithrombotic guidelines for clinicians.
- To guide the selection of appropriate timing, dosage, and combinations of antithrombotic therapies.
Main Methods:
- Review of current society guidelines and consensus documents on antithrombotic therapy.
- Evidence-based synthesis of antithrombotic approaches in cardiac electrophysiology and interventional procedures.
- Focus on practical application for everyday clinical decision-making.
Main Results:
- Antithrombotic therapy selection requires careful consideration of individual patient factors and procedural risks.
- Current guidelines present a complex, sometimes conflicting, approach to antithrombotic management.
- A unified, practical summary is needed to navigate these complexities.
Conclusions:
- This review aims to simplify antithrombotic decision-making in cardiac procedures.
- Optimizing antithrombotic therapy is essential for minimizing morbidity and mortality.
- Clinicians need clear, concise guidance for managing antithrombotic therapy in diverse patient populations.
Abstract:
Electrophysiological and interventional procedures have been increasingly used to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients experiencing cardiovascular diseases. Although antithrombotic therapies are critical to reduce the risk of stroke or other thromboembolic events, they can nonetheless increase the bleeding hazard. This is even more true in an aging population undergoing cardiac procedures in which the combination of oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet therapies would further increase the hemorrhagic risk. Hence, the timing, dose, and combination of antithrombotic therapies should be carefully chosen in each case. However, the maze of society guidelines and consensus documents published so far have progressively led to a hazier scenario in this setting. Aim of this review is to provide-in a single document-a quick, evidenced-based practical summary of the antithrombotic approaches used in different cardiac electrophysiology and interventional procedures to guide the busy clinician and the cardiac proceduralist in their everyday practice.
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