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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Treatment strategies in patients with atrial fibrillation typically involve pharmacologic or interventional invasive therapies to suppress the rhythm, control ventricular contraction rates, or prevent thromboembolic complications. Current therapies used for rhythm conversion in atrial fibrillation may have undesirable risks or side effects that limit this approach. Lifelong anticoagulation may be necessary to prevent the formation of thrombus in the left atrial chamber that can travel into the cerebral circulation to cause a stroke. Currently, warfarin is the most commonly prescribed anticoagulant for this purpose. Unfortunately, many patients with atrial fibrillation may not receive warfarin because of the difficulties in dosing and maintaining desirable target goals. The oral direct thrombin inhibitor ximelagatran has several pharmacologic properties that provide a unique and potentially desirable treatment option. Clinical studies have demonstrated that ximelagatran, administered in twice-daily doses of 36 mg, is non-inferior to warfarin for thromboprophylaxis against stroke or systemic embolism in atrial fibrillation. The pharmacology of ximelagatran and clinical trials with its use in atrial fibrillation is reviewed.
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PMID:Ximelagatran: a new antithrombotic option in atrial fibrillation. 1537 34

In part IV of a series of papers on epidemiology and drug prevention of stroke and other thromboembolic complications of atrial fibrillation the authors present data on clinical pharmacology of low molecular weight heparins, ximelagatran, indobufen, triflusal, dipyridamole, ticlopidine, and clopidogrel. Efficacy of direct thrombin inhibitor ximelagatran was found in randomized trials to be similar to efficacy of warfarin however the use of ximelagatran required no laboratory control of coagulation parameters. Preventive efficacy of indobufen, triflusal, dipyridamole, ticlopidine, and clopidogrel was assessed in trials on patients with cardiovascular diseases substantial number of whom had atrial fibrillation. Data of retrospective analysis of these trials are scrutinized in this review.
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PMID:[Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Complications of Atrial Fibrillation. Part III. Prevention With Other Antithrombotic Agents.]. 1547 80

Melagatran is a synthetic, small-peptide direct thrombin inhibitor with anticoagulant activity. Ximelagatran, an oral prodrug, undergoes rapid enzymatic conversion to melagatran. Melagatran has rapid onset of action, fixed twice-daily dosing, stable absorption, apparent low potential for medication interactions, and no requirement for monitoring drug levels or dose adjustment. There is no specific antidote, but the drug has a short plasma elimination half-life (about 4 hours). In clinical studies, melagatran/ximelagatran is not inferior to warfarin for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, to heparin-warfarin for acute treatment and extended secondary prevention of deep vein thrombosis, and superior to warfarin for prevention of venous thromboembolism after major orthopaedic surgery. Major bleeding with melagatran/ximelagatran occurred at rates similar to those in patients treated with warfarin. 6%-12% of patients taking ximelagatran develop asymptomatic elevated liver enzyme levels (predominantly alanine aminotransferase) after 1-6 months of therapy; this usually resolves with cessation of therapy. Less than 1% of patients develop abnormal liver function while taking ximelagatran; this rarely persists or develops into clinical illness.
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PMID:The direct thrombin inhibitor melagatran/ximelagatran. 1574 44

Traditional anticoagulants employed in the treatment of thrombosis include the injectable heparins and oral warfarin. Though effective, these traditional agents are fraught with limitations in their ease of use in the clinical setting. Warfarin, for example, has many pharmacokinetic properties and food-and-drug interactions that result in unpredictable patient response and the need for expensive and time-consuming monitoring of coagulation status. Ximelagatran is a novel, promising, orally active, direct thrombin inhibitor currently in development that, for the first time in 50 years, offers a potential alternative to the mainstay oral agent "warfarin." Advantages of ximelagatran over warfarin include predictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, a broad therapeutic window, no routine anticoagulant monitoring, no clinically significant drug interactions, and fixed-dose administration. Ximelagatran has been evaluated for thromboprophylaxis following orthopedic surgery, acute treatment and secondary prevention of venous thrombosis, stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, and acute coronary syndromes. Results of clinical trials suggest that ximelagatran is equally or more efficacious than warfarin and/or low-molecular-weight heparin therapy without increasing rates of minor or major bleeding. Although postmarketing surveillance will provide the final test of this drug, the future looks promising for addition of a new anticoagulant with the potential to provide excellent efficacy, predictable response, and reduced adverse effects. Pending regulatory approval, ximelagatran may help overcome barriers to appropriate anticoagulant therapy, thereby decreasing morbidity and mortality associated with thrombotic diseases.
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PMID:New blood thinner offers first potential alternative in 50 years: ximelagatran. 1552 58

The health and economic burden of stroke to society is enormous. Pharmacological therapies remain the primary stroke prevention strategy for the vast majority. Several existing and newer pharmacological agents aimed at the treatment of hypertension and lowering cholesterol are proving to be effective. For example, the antiplatelet agent clopidogrel has reduced end points in the secondary prevention of stroke, as have combinations of aspirin with traditional therapies, including dipyramidole. The direct oral thrombin inhibitor ximelagatran is a novel oral anticoagulant that has shown significant potential as a possible replacement to warfarin therapy, for the prevention of stroke for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Additional novel agents with hypothetical, although not yet proven, benefits in stroke prevention include fish oils, homocysteine-lowering therapy and anti-inflammatory agents. Finally, a controversial novel polypill, which would include fixed combinations of several pharmacological agents, may yet become a realistic and promising stroke prevention option.
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PMID:Novel therapies for the prevention of stroke. 1556 18

Current antithrombotic therapies are associated with various practical limitations and risks that restrict their utility in the management of venous thromboembolism. The coagulation factor, thrombin, has been the focus of extensive investigation as a pharmacological target in efforts to improve the management of venous thromboembolism. Hirudin, desirudin, bivalirudin and argatroban are direct thrombin inhibitors that have been launched for limited indications as anticoagulants. Their usefulness for long-term prophylaxis is limited by a requirement for parenteral administration, restricted licensing and bleeding/tolerability profile. Ximelagatran--which, after oral administration, is rapidly converted to its active form, melagatran--is the first oral direct thrombin inhibitor and the first new oral anticoagulant to become available in 60 years. Clinical studies have shown that melagatran/ximelagatran, without coagulation monitoring, is effective and well tolerated for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after hip replacement and knee replacement surgery. Ximelagatran is also effective in the acute treatment of venous thromboembolism and long-term secondary prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism, the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and in the prevention of cardiovascular events after myocardial infarction. Oral direct thrombin inhibitors have a promising role in the management of venous thromboembolism and other associated medical conditions.
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PMID:Clinical potential of oral direct thrombin inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. 1558 27

The topic of anticoagulant prescription in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, for the primary and secondary prevention of stroke, provides a forum for discussion of current challenges in anticoagulation management and ways in which the introduction of ximelagatran will provide an opportunity to overcome many of them. Anticoagulation with warfarin has been shown to reduce stroke rates by 68%, providing significant net monetary savings. However, physician fear of hemorrhagic side effects, the need for regular INR monitoring, food and drug interactions, and patient noncompliance have all played a part in either suboptimal utilization or complete avoidance of anticoagulant therapy, even in patients at high risk for stroke. Ximelagatran, a new oral direct thrombin inhibitor, circumvents most of these problems and provides a more physician- and patient-friendly method of stroke prophylaxis. With the utilization of this new anticoagulation method, the incidence of stroke in high risk groups, and the corresponding quality-of-life and economic impact, can potentially be greatly reduced.
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PMID:Changing the guard in long-term anticoagulation: clinical and economic implications. 1561 12

Warfarin therapy achieving an International Normalized Ratio between 2 and 3 has been shown to be effective in preventing stroke. However, warfarin administration is problematic because of its variable dose, interaction with numerous foods and drugs, narrow therapeutic range, need for chronic anticoagulation monitoring, and long onset and offset of action, which all contribute to the significant underuse of warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke despite clear indication for its use. This has led to new approaches. Studies with idraparinux (AMADEUS), a factor 10a inhibitor, and with aspirin and clopidogrel (ACTIVE), both platelet inhibitors, are on-going. Studies with ximelagatran (Stroke Prevention by Oral Thrombin Inhibition in Atrial Fibrillation [SPORTIF] trials III and V), an oral direct thrombin inhibitor, have been completed. They compared ximelagatran with warfarin in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke. The studies demonstrated that ximelagatran is not inferior to warfarin. Moreover, ximelagatran has rapid onset and offset of action, fixed oral dosing without the need for anticoagulation monitoring, low potential for food and drug interactions, and a therapeutic margin wider than that of warfarin. We anticipate further studies to demonstrate definitively that the small percentage of patients (0.5%) with elevation of both alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and bilirubin levels can be managed safely, thereby making ximelagatran a promising option for preventing thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke.
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PMID:New possibilities in anticoagulant management of atrial fibrillation. 1561 13

Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death in the world and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) continue to be associated with high rates of morbidity. ACS refers to the spectrum of acute myocardial ischemia, including unstable angina, ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and acute MI without ST segment elevation (NSTEMI). Current guidelines indicate both aspirin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists (if catheterization/revascularization are planned) as class IA recommendations in ACS. Anticoagulant therapy, in the form of heparin, is a class IA recommendation for the acute hospital phase of ACS. The risk of recurrent thrombotic events following ACS remains high in the post-hospital phase, creating a rationale for the use of oral direct thrombin inhibitors such as ximelagatran, in both the acute and long-term settings. The Efficacy and Safety of the Oral Direct Thrombin Inhibitor Ximelagatran in Patients with Recent and Myocardial Damage (ESTEEM) trial, a placebo-controlled, double-blind study of post-MI patients, evaluated 4 dosing regimens of ximelagatran versus placebo in the initial months following an ACS and found an encouraging reduction in the end points of death, MI, and stroke with the use of an oral direct thrombin inhibitor.
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PMID:Reducing cardiac events after acute coronary syndromes. 1561 14

Venous thromboembolism, which is manifested as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), represents a significant cause of death, disability, and discomfort. Two million people/year are affected by VTE, making it the third most common cardiovascular disease after coronary heart disease and stroke. The rationale for VTE prophylaxis stems from the clinically silent presentation of the disease and its prevalence among hospitalized patients. At greatest risk are patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery and those admitted to the intensive care unit with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, ischemic stroke, respiratory disease, systemic infection, or other medical conditions that immobilize patients for 5 days or longer. Several anticoagulant regimens have been effective in reducing the risk of VTE after major orthopedic surgery. For patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement, treatment with adjusted-dose warfarin, low-molecular-weight heparins, or fondaparinux may be used. Warfarin, which has been around for more than 50 years, is the only oral anticoagulant available for VTE prophylaxis. Ximelagatran, a new low-molecular-weight oral prodrug of the direct thrombin inhibitor melagatran, has advantages over warfarin that may make it the drug of choice for prevention of VTE.
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PMID:The role of oral direct thrombin inhibitors in the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism. 1562 37


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