Monitoring anticoagulation: yes or no?

COR2ED Medical Education

COR2ED Medical Education: In this podcast episode, Prof Dimitrios Tsakiris (Haematologist, Basel University, Switzerland) and Assoc. Prof. Michael Nagler (Haematologist, Inselspital University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland) discuss when to monitor anticoagulation in clinical practice, covering both the technical aspects and the clinical usefulness.

The two experts discussed when monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is necessary for acute situations like bleeding, surgery, and thrombolysis, while recognizing its limitations. They also discuss how to differentiate routine monitoring from critical drug level assessments, exploring the impact on clinical decisions and patient care. In addition, they discuss the benefits of anti-Xa assays for anticoagulation monitoring, including potential standardisation and shifting from traditional assays for unfractionated heparin.

This podcast is the first episode in a series of four podcasts on thrombosis in various clinical situations.