Anna Remková, Angelika Bátorová, Martin Mistrík, Iveta Šimková, Gabriel Kamenský, Ivica Lazúrová, Juraj Payer, Peter Turčáni
New oral anticoagulants (NOAC) dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban offer many advantages over traditional warfarin anticoagulant therapy, including a lower risk of bleeding complications. However, even in patients using NOAC the situations requiring immediate correction of haemostasis may occur. Specific antidotes are not available and current recommendations for the management of bleeding include general measures such as discontinuation of NOAC use, assessment of the bleeding source, local/surgical control of bleeding and haemodynamic stabilization with intravenous fluid and red blood cells replacement. In case of overdose absorption may be reduced by an administration of activated charcoal, if within 2 h of anticoagulant ingestion. Urgent elimination of dabigatran from the circulation may be achieved by haemodialysis, which however is not effective for rivaroxaban and apixaban due to their high plasma protein binding. In patients with serious or life-threatening bleeding haemostasis may be supported by administration of non-specific haemostatic agents such as prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) or its activated form (aPCC). The information about the use of the recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in this indication is lacking and so far consensus about the use of rFVIIa has not been achieved. The aim of present paper is to provide, at the level of current knowledge and information, the guideline for the management of bleeding, surgery and invasive procedures in patients using NOACs.
Keywords: new oral anticoagulants, management of bleeding, coagulation factors concentrates