Optimal loading dose of warfarin for the initiation of oral anticoagulation

Source: Cochrane Area: Evidence > Drug Specific Reviews Background   Warfarin is used as an oral anticoagulant. However, there is wide variation in patient response to warfarin dose. This variation, as well as the necessity of keeping within a narrow therapeutic range, means that selection of the correct warfarin dose at the outset of treatment is not straightforward.       Objectives     To assess the effectiveness of different initiation doses of warfarin in terms of time in-range, time to INR in-range and effect on serious adverse events.       Search methods   We searched CENTRAL, DARE and the NHS Health economics database on The Cochrane Library (2012, Issue 4); MEDLINE (1950 to April 2012) and EMBASE (1974 to April 2012).       Selection criteria   All randomised controlled trials which compared different initiation regimens of warfarin.   ...
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Source Type: news