Faculty Articles

Assessing Anticoagulation Practice Patterns in Patients on Durable Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices: An International Survey.

ISBN or ISSN

1538-943X

Publication Title

ASAIO Journal (American Society for Artificial Internal Organs : 1992)

Volume

62

Issue

1

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1-2016

First Page

28

Last Page

32

Publisher

American Society for Artificial Internal Organs

DOI Number

10.1097/MAT.0000000000000274

Abstract

Anticoagulation in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) patients dictated by local practice, and therefore uniform standards for management are lacking. To characterize the worldwide variance in anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy in patients with MCS devices, a 42 item survey was created and distributed electronically in August 2014. The survey assessed the center-perceived thromboembolic risk (minimal, low, moderate, or high) and characterized the antiplatelet and anticoagulant strategies for the Thoratec HeartMate II (HMII) and HeartWare HVAD (HVAD). A total of 83/214 centers (39%) responded: North America (60/152), Europe (18/50), Australia (2/4), and Asia (3/8). Although the most common target international normalized ratio (INR) was 2-3 for both devices, significant variability exists. Anticoagulation intensity tended to be lower with the HMII, with more centers targeting INR values of less than 2.5. Aspirin monotherapy was the most common antiplatelet regimen; however, the HVAD patients were more likely to be on daily aspirin doses over 100 mg. In addition, parenteral bridging was more frequent with the HVAD device. While 43.8% of respondents indicated an increase in the perceived risk of HMII device thrombosis in 2014, intensification of anticoagulation (22%) or antiplatelet (11%) therapy was infrequent. Our findings verify the wide variety of anticoagulation practice patterns between MCS centers.

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Keywords

anticoagulants, health care surveys, heart-assist devices, humans, platelet aggregation inhibitors, practice patterns, physicians', thromboembolism

Peer Reviewed

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