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 Printable version |
Treatment of pulmonary embolism. |
MT Cardio. Volume 3, Number 5, 331-7, Septembre-Octobre 2007, Dossier – Nouveaux antithrombotiques
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 Résumé
Article gratuit
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Author(s) : Olivier Sanchez, Benjamin Planquette, Delphine Wermert, Hervé Sors, Guy Meyer |
Summary : Adequate initial anticoagulant treatment is required to prevent thrombus growth and recurrence. Intravenous unfractionated heparin is being replaced by low-molecular-weight heparin as the anticoagulant of choice for initial treatment of venous thromboembolism. Vitamin K antagonists remain the only oral anticoagulants available (target international normalized ratio of 2.5). The duration of therapy should be individualized based on the risk of recurrence and the risk of bleeding. Three months of treatment is usually adequate if thrombosis was provoked by a reversible risk factor such as surgery. For patients with unprovoked thrombosis (“idiopathic”), anticoagulant treatment for at least 6 months is indicated. For patients with a recurrence of venous thromboembolism, or with an irreversible risk factor such as cancer, an indefinite anticoagulant therapy is recommended. Long-term treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin is usually preferable in patients with active cancer. |
Keywords : pulmonary embolism, anticoagulant therapy, heparin, pentasaccharide |
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