title: Anticoagulation Therapy in Traumatic Brain Injury.
abstract: Optimal anticoagulation therapy (AT) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a challenging task and proper management is strongly correlated with clinical outcomes. Only limited data are available on AT after TBI and practical decision making is based on the opinion of experts. This review sought to critically assess different therapeutic options using AT and antiplatelet agents in the perioperative period after TBI.
  
  
  
  A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to summarize relevant data on AT in patients with TBI.
  
  
  
  Patients with preinjury AT with TBI require emergent neurosurgical treatment and they are also at high risk of developing thromboembolic complications or hematoma expansion. New oral anticoagulants offer a lower incidence of intracranial hemorrhage compared with warfarin. The rate of intracranial hemorrhage during new oral anticoagulants or heparin therapy is significantly lower than that with vitamin K antagonists.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: ttomasz@mp.pl.
authors: Tomasz
authors: T
authors: Tykocki
authors: Department of Cardiac Arrhythmias, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Krystyna
authors: K
authors: Guzek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants
keywords: Anticoagulants; Antiplatelet agents; Hemorrhage; Traumatic brain injury