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Granger, C.B., Alexander, J.H., McMurray, J.J., Lopes, R.D., Hylek, E.M., Hanna, M., Al-Khalidi, H.R., Ansell, J., Atar, D., Avezum, A., Bahit, M.C., Diaz, R., Easton, J.D., Ezekowitz, J.A., Flaker, G., Garcia, D., Geraldes, M., Gersh, B.J., Golitsyn, S., Goto, S., Hermosillo, A.G., Hohnloser, S.H., Horowitz, J., Mohan, P., Jansky, P., Lewis, B.S., Lopez-Sendon, J.L., Pais, P., Parkhomenko, A., Verheugt, F.W., Zhu, J. and Wallentin, L. (2011) Apixaban versus Warfarin in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation. New England Journal of Medicine, 365, 981-992.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1107039
has been cited by the following article:
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TITLE:
Elderly Disabled Patients in Oral Anticoagulation Treatment: An Evaluation of a Bioanalyst-Led Management Program Reaching an Average of 72% of Time in Therapeutic Range
AUTHORS:
Thomas Vedtofte, Gitte Vedel Melsen, Lise Bathum, Christina Ellervik, Maja Jørgensen
KEYWORDS:
Warfarin, INR, Time in Therapeutic Range, Elderly, Nursery Care Setting
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases,
Vol.4 No.12,
November
28,
2014
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The need for anticoagulation therapy increases with age, mainly due to the increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) is a marker of the quality of the therapy as TTR is inversely correlated with adverse reactions. We developed a bioanalyst-led management program for control of warfarin treatment in elderly disabled patients in their own home and maintain a high TTR. Material and Methods: Residents in nursing home settings were included. Visiting nurses measured INR with a point of care testing device. If INR was within Therapeutic Range (TR), the nurse dosed warfarin unaltered. If INR was out of TR, the visiting nurse contacted a specially trained bioanalyst by phone. An explanation was sought, and a new dosage plan was made. Results: A total of 579 patients were included; 356 females (61%). Mean age was 79.6 years. Approximately 10% were residents in nursing home settings and the rest in domiciliary care. TTR was 72%. The subtherapeutic values were 15% and supratherapeutic values 13%. In total, 139 patients died during the study period. Ten deaths could be related to possible side effects of warfarin treatment. Conclusions: Our results indicate that a bioanalyst-led program is able to simplify anticoagulation monitoring, while maintaining INR control similar to a specialized clinic. Furthermore, we avoided hospitalizations when INR was unacceptably high by treating the patient with oral vitamin-K at home. Our findings could be helpful when planning warfarin treatment in elderly, fragile patients.
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