Course Description

Intended Audience

This symposium is intended for all physicians, nurses, pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals who manage patients receiving anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy.

Needs Statement

Anticoagulants are one of the most commonly prescribed drug classes in the United States. Because of the pivotal role of anticoagulation in cardiovascular disease, surgery, critical care, trauma, perioperative medicine, and hematology; therapeutic approaches to anticoagulation are important. However, many healthcare providers have been unable to incorporate appropriate anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies into their routine workflow. Specifically, they are challenged with incorporating clinical order sets and local practice guidelines. Providers also face barriers in their access to platelet function and genetic testing, understanding the interpretations of these tests, and financial and clinical implications of tests.

Many new agents are in development, and healthcare providers need to understand the similarities and differences among the new agents. This course will educate providers on anticoagulants’ mechanisms of safety, route of administration, pharmacokinetic and pharmocodynamic effects, the need for dose titration, monitoring requirements and safety profiles. Despite a plethora of supporting published clinical and economic data and evidence-based guidelines, therapeutic interventions are often applied inappropriately in the clinical setting. This course will also outline the integral role anticoagulation clinics play in the management of patients receiving anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies.

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this symposium, the participant will provide better patient care through an increased ability to:

• Describe platelet biology and demonstrate an increased knowledge of drug therapies directed towards the platelet
• Identify new antiplatelet and antithrombin treatment options that may change current clinical algorithms
• Explain the clinical presentation and natural history of calf vein vs. deep vein thrombosis
• Describe current and changing guidelines for management of calf vein thrombosis
• Review and discuss the results of clinical trials
• Review and discuss published evidence, ongoing controversies and current practices related to short term vs. long term treatment of VTE
• Outline best practices in ambulatory anticoagulation management
• Manage the complicated ACS patient with other coexisting disorders
• Effectively use anticoagulation clinics
• Discuss guidelines for communication, coordination of care and patient compliance in order to achieve quality outcomes for patients
• Review new anticoagulant data and the impact on major bleeding, mortality and patient outcomes
• Discuss future directions of anticoagulation clinics in light of the expected availability of new agents that do not require routine laboratory testing
• Apply evidence-based guidelines and best practices in managing patients on anticoagulants
• Review and discuss bridging therapies for patients on anticoagulation therapy 
• Integrate a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care