Ronelle E. Stevens, PharmD RPh, CACP

With the New Year approaching, let's resolve to decrease some of the difficulty with anticoagulant medications by welcoming patients and technology into the patient counseling dialogue.

Cancer patients must also contend with a range of accompanying maladies, including arterial and venous thromboembolism.

Issues in anticoagulation relating to mechanical valve replacement and diabetes patients on antithrombotics.

More than 300,000 US patients are admitted annually for upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, and hormone therapy can increase risk of thromboembolism.

Ocular bleeding may be a concern for anticoagulated patients with certain risk factors and comorbidities.

There is an ongoing quest for information on this rare and fast-paced form of deep vein thrombosis.

Increasing public awareness of venous thromboembolism can help to encourage preventive medical attention.

Choosing the right anticoagulation agent and duration of therapy remains controversial.

New treatments for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation require patient-specific assessment.