title: Outpatient management of oral anticoagulation therapy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.
abstract: Due to heightened risk for thromboembolic complications, nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) presents an absolute indication for long-term oral anticoagulation therapy. This was an observational, analytical, randomised, one-year clinical study, conducted in the Blood Transfusion Institute Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. The aim of this study was to present the oral anticoagulation treatment in terms of International normalised ratio (INR) monitoring and warfarin/acenocoumarol dose titration in 117 patients with NVAF. INR values, the doses of warfarin and acenocoumarol, as well as the tendency and adequacy of their changes were monitored. Percentages of the therapeutic INR values were 51,77% and 53,62%, subtherapeutic 42,84% and 35,86%, and supratherapeutic 5,39% and 10,53% for the warfarin and acenocoumarol treatment, respectively. The average total weekly doses (TWD) which most frequently achieved the therapeutic INR values were 27,89+/-12,34 mg and 20,44+/-9,94 mg, for warfarin and acenocoumarol, respectively. The dose changes with the INR values 1,7 or lower/3,3 or higher were omitted in 13,46% and 15,63%, and with the INR values 1,8-3,2 were noted in 8,62% and 13,48% of all the check-up visits in the warfarin and acenocoumarol group, respectively. The annual dose changes were noted in 24,65% and 31,41%, and the daily dose changes in 74,43% and 73,36% of all the check-up visits of warfarin and acenocoumarol group, respectively. We can conclude that the management of the oral anticoagulation treatment in our country is in accordance with the relevant recommendations, but with the present tendency toward underdosing and unnecessary frequent dose changing.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Cekalusa 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulo
authors.forename: Nedzad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mulabegović
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kusturica
authors.forename: Hasija
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hadzić
authors.forename: Lejla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burnazović-Ristić
authors.forename: Maida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rakanović-Todić
authors.forename: Amila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehmedović
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lepara
mesh_terms: D000074:Acenocoumarol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014859:Warfarin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin; D000074:Acenocoumarol