NAVIGATING ANTITHROMBOTIC THERAPY: CLINICAL PEARLS FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Course overview

ANTITHROMBOTIC THERAPY IS ESSENTIAL FOR PREVENTING AND TREATING THROMBOTIC EVENTS, YET SELECTING THE RIGHT AGENT IN THE RIGHT CLINICAL SITUATION REMAINS A FREQUENT CHALLENGE. THIS CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM PROVIDES HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WITH A CLEAR, PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING THE APPROPRIATENESS OF ANTIPLATELET AND ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY ACROSS A VARIETY OF REAL-WORLD CLINICAL SCENARIOS. THE COURSE BEGINS WITH AN ACCESSIBLE REVIEW OF CLOT FORMATION AND THE DISTINCT ROLES OF ANTIPLATELETS VERSUS ANTICOAGULANTS, THEN EXPLORES HOW CLOT LOCATION, UNDERLYING CONDITIONS, AND PATIENT-SPECIFIC RISK FACTORS GUIDE THERAPEUTIC DECISION-MAKING. THROUGH EXAMINATION OF COMMON INDICATIONS SUCH AS PCI, PAD, ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, AND VTE, PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPY FROM POTENTIALLY INAPPROPRIATE USE. SPECIAL FOCUS IS PLACED ON COMPLEX CLINICAL SITUATIONS--SUCH AS WHEN ANTIPLATELET AND ANTICOAGULANT INDICATIONS OVERLAP--AND THE EVOLVING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT GUIDE THEIR COMBINED USE. THE PROGRAM ALSO ADDRESSES THE UNIQUE RISKS AND CONSIDERATIONS INVOLVED IN CARING FOR OLDER ADULTS, INCLUDING BLEEDING RISK ASSESSMENT, BEERS CRITERIA IMPLICATIONS, AND STRATEGIES FOR SAFE MONITORING. BY THE END OF THE SESSION, HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH PRACTICAL, GUIDELINE-INFORMED TOOLS TO OPTIMIZE ANTITHROMBOTIC THERAPY AND TO IDENTIFY INAPPROPRIATE OR UNSAFE PRESCRIBING IN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.