Wednesday, August 7, 2019

New Sentinel Event Alert: Managing the risks of direct oral anticoagulants








Read the Sentinel Event Alert 
A complimentary publication of The Joint Commission | Issue 61 | July 30, 2019

Managing the risks of direct oral anticoagulants

Anticoagulants have been named second of the top 10 medications involved in error incidents causing death or serious harm. While DOACs offer ease of use to patients, stopping bleeding events in patients on DOACs is more complicated, requiring different strategies than those for patients on warfarin (Coumadin®) and heparin. Unlike the more widely available reversal agents for warfarin and heparin, reversal agents for DOACs are lesser known and may not be available in every care setting. Also, some DOACs have no FDA-approved reversal agent at this time. Therefore, bleeding complications can be severe if these patients are not assessed according to guidelines on the management of DOACs. Intracranial hemorrhage is the most serious emergent bleeding risk.





No comments:

Post a Comment