Timeless therapeutics: cardiac indications for vitamin K antagonists in clinical practice

Nevertheless, for specific cardiac indications and patient characteristics, vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) rather than DOACs are either preferred, or the benefit of DOACs in comparison to VKAs remains uncertain. These include, among others, mechanical heart valves, AF associated with moderate-to-severe mitral stenosis, left ventricular or atrial thrombus, and older patients with frailty. As VKAs will continue to play a vital role in the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases in the foreseeable future, this review discusses cardiac indications and patient characteristics that necessitate the use of VKAs and general management principles of VKA therapy.

 

 

 

 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/