Anticoagulants: Pharmacokinetics, Mechanisms of Action, and Indications

Tracy A DeWald; Jeffrey B Washam; Richard C Becker

doi:10.1016/j.nec.2018.06.003

Anticoagulants: Pharmacokinetics, Mechanisms of Action, and Indications

Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2018 Oct;29(4):503-515. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2018.06.003. Epub 2018 Jul 23.

Authors

Tracy A DeWald¹, Jeffrey B Washam¹, Richard C Becker²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Duke Heart Center, DUMC Box 3943, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
² Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way, ML 542, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA. Electronic address: richard.becker@uc.edu.

PMID: 30223963
DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2018.06.003

Abstract

Anticoagulant medications are used widely for a variety of medical and surgical diseases, disorders, and conditions associated with thrombosis and thromboembolism. This review highlights labeled indications, mechanisms of action, potential drug interactions, and specific pharmacokinetic characteristics of available anticoagulants as an essential foundation for guiding selection and management of therapies for patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures.

Keywords: Anticoagulation; Indication; Mechanism of action; Pharmacokinetics.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anticoagulants / pharmacokinetics
Anticoagulants / therapeutic use*
Biological Availability
Blood Loss, Surgical / prevention & control
Hemostasis, Surgical / methods*
Humans
Neurosurgical Procedures / methods*

Substances

Anticoagulants