Initially known as a predominantly respiratory disease, there is currently no doubt that COVID-19 is increasingly emerging as a prothrombotic condition. Observational studies, as well as published and anecdotal case reports have highlighted the thrombotic manifestations of COVID-19, with particular emphasis on the strong association between D-dimer levels and poor prognosis.1,2 While the COVID-19 clotting … Read more
I’m spending the last month of internal medicine residency on a neurology rotation. I suppose that’s fair; my wife, a neurology resident, had to do a whole year of medicine. To me, the most interesting part of neurology is the parallel between stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Conceptually these are two manifestations of a … Read more
Over the last decade, several direct oral anticoagulants have become available for thromboembolic prophylaxis, as an alternative to the Vitamin K antagonist warfarin. These agents are either direct thrombin inhibitors (dabigatran) or Factor Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban). In my clinical practice, I frequently prescribe these medications for stroke prophylaxis from atrial fibrillation. During these … Read more
During Scientific Sessions 2018, I was able to remotely attend several great and informative lectures pertaining to the management of cardiovascular diseases. I was especially interested in the sessions related to antithrombotic therapy as this directly applies to my daily practice of Vascular Neurology. One of those sessions focused on management of tricky situations in … Read more