Warfarin News and Research

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Warfarin is a drug that prevents blood from clotting. It belongs to the family of drugs called anticoagulants (blood thinners).

Nutrition could be cost-effective treatment to improve health in malnourished older adults

As a majority of older adults have two or more chronic conditions, finding new ways to improve their health and decrease the cost of care is vital to helping them live healthier, longer lives.

30 Aug 2016

New anticoagulant treatment safe and effective for AF patients before cardioversion

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who need anticoagulation before undergoing electrical correction of their abnormal heartbeat (cardioversion) may benefit from treatment with edoxoban - a non-vitamin K antagonist (VKA) oral anticoagulant (NOAC), according to results of the ENSURE-AF trial.

30 Aug 2016

New oral anticoagulants offer same stroke prevention, but cause less intracranial bleeding than warfarin

The new oral anticoagulants provide the same stroke prevention as warfarin but cause less intracranial bleeding, reports an observational study in more than 43 000 patients presented at ESC Congress 2016 today by Dr Laila Staerk, a research fellow at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark.

28 Aug 2016

First ESC Guidelines on Atrial Fibrillation published online

The first European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on Atrial Fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) are published online today in European Heart Journal and the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and on the ESC Website.

27 Aug 2016

Commonly-used stroke prevention drug may not control blood clotting over long term

Warfarin prescribed to prevent strokes in atrial fibrillation may not adequately control blood clotting over the long-term, even when patients have been historically stable on the drug, according to a study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

9 Aug 2016

Common pesticides linked to allergic and non-allergic wheeze among farmers

New research from North Carolina State University connects several pesticides commonly used by farmers with both allergic and non-allergic wheeze, which can be a sensitive marker for early airway problems.

3 Aug 2016

Updated AAN guidelines state closure not recommended for individuals with stroke and heart defect

An updated recommendation from the American Academy of Neurology states that catheter-based closure should not be routinely recommended for people who have had a stroke and also have a heart defect called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a channel between the top two chambers in the heart.

28 Jul 2016

Hematology researchers develop new bio-engineered clotting factor to control bleeding

Every five minutes someone in the U.S. dies from a blood clot, through its role in strokes, heart attacks or other severe conditions.

26 Jul 2016

Self-monitoring or self-management of anticoagulation therapy can help reduce thromboembolic events

Patients on long-term anticoagulation therapy who test their own blood-clotting time from home and continue to be managed by their GP are significantly less likely to experience a thromboembolic event, according to Oxford University researchers.

6 Jul 2016

Novel blood coagulation analyzer may help detect stroke risk in AF patients

Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University show that an analyzer recently developed to measure blood coagulability has the sensitivity to detect hypercoagulatibility associated with stroke risk in those without atrial fibrillation

4 Jul 2016

NOACs match warfarin for atrial fibrillation

Real-world study data from Denmark show that non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are effective alternatives to warfarin in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation in a routine care setting.

23 Jun 2016

AF patients at risk for stroke mostly treated with aspirin-only prescription instead of blood thinners

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine report that more than 1 in 3 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at intermediate to high risk for stroke are treated with aspirin alone, despite previous data showing this therapy to be inferior to blood thinners.

21 Jun 2016

Apixaban effective in polypharmacy setting

The superiority of apixaban over warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation is maintained in those taking multiple medications, shows further analysis of the ARISTOTLE trial.

21 Jun 2016

Molecular diagnostics of the future: an interview with Elaine Warburton, OBE

Firstly, a sample must be transported from the clinic to the laboratory. Simple tests may be undertaken in a small lab within the hospital or clinic, whilst complex testing such as drug susceptibility testing is often done in a large centralized laboratory many miles from the clinic

20 Jun 2016

Worsening renal function linked to increased cardiovascular risk in AF

Patients with atrial fibrillation and declining renal function are at increased risk of subsequent stroke or systemic embolism, major bleeding and death, US researchers report.

17 Jun 2016

Watchman device for irregular heart rhythms may be preferable to standard blood thinning medications

A new study by a Yale researcher may support the use of a device for patients suffering from irregular heart rhythms.

17 Jun 2016

Need for standardised guidelines to fight Alzheimer's disease

Some 47 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia. Scientists are working feverishly to find a cure for the most common form, Alzheimer's. At the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, Prof Gunhild Waldemar issued an appeal for researchers to work together and draw up standardised guidelines for early identification and treatment of the disease.

31 May 2016

Trial results underestimate anticoagulant bleeding risk

A study in The BMJ demonstrates that estimates of major bleeding risk in patients taking anticoagulants in clinical trials are unlikely to reflect the reality of clinical practice.

28 May 2016

Computerized decision support tool can assist physicians in prescribing stroke prevention therapy

Physician-researchers in the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati have developed a computerized decision support tool that uses a combination of patient information and characteristics to assist physicians and patients with decisions about blood thinning treatment to prevent strokes in individuals with atrial fibrillation.

12 May 2016

Long-term Warfarin use may increase dementia rates in AF patients

A new study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, Warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients

5 May 2016