http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—Kcentra (prothrombin complex concentrate, human) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat severe acute bleeding in adults after administration of the anti-clotting drug warfarin and similar products. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-kcentra-severe-heart-patients.html Medications Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:50:01 EST news286547963 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that the use of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filters for the prevention and treatment of venous thrombotic events (VTE) may result in poor outcomes due to mechanical filter complications—largely due to low filter retrieval rates and inconsistent use of anticoagulants—and high rates of venous thromboembolism. The study, which was conducted at New England's largest trauma center, Boston Medical Center (BMC), currently appears on-line in JAMA Internal Medicine and is believed to be one of the first to retrospectively review retrieval options of IVC filters. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-ivc-filters.html Cardiology Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:00:06 EST news282828673 (Medical Xpress)—Anticoagulants have saved the lives of those at risk for heart attack or stroke. However, because they prevent blood clotting, they can be dangerous to patients who suffer traumatic injuries or who require urgent surgery. Doctors use Vitamin K as an antidote to the commonly prescribed blood-thinner Warfarin. Scientists at Portola Therapeutics, a South San Francisco pharmaceutical company, have successfully tested an antidote to two next-generation anticoagulants. The study appears in the March 3 online issue of Nature Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-scientists-antidote-anticoagulants.html Medical research Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:10:02 EST news281699542 The radial approach for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) was developed 20 years ago and is used for more than 50% of procedures in France, Scandinavian countries, the UK, Spain and Italy. Despite the advantages of radial access some countries in Europe such as Germany use radial access for fewer than 10% of PCI. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-radial-access-choice-pci-esc.html Cardiology Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:00:02 EST news278588845 The current outbreak of West Nile virus may prove to be the worst since the disease was first recorded in New York 13 years ago, and it shows no indication of slowing down. As of the beginning of this month, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had received more than 1,850 reports of West Nile virus cases across the country, and more than 40 deaths. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-west-nile-virus-smart-dont.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:04:42 EST news266047474 Men and women who undergo joint replacement procedures, as well as those who have significant fractures, tend to be at an increased risk of developing pulmonary emboli (PE), blood clots that travel to the lungs where they may cause serious complications and even death. Patients are often aggressively treated with anticoagulants, or blood thinners, to help prevent the clots from forming, but a study published in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons indicates that some blood clots being identified by today's sensitive testing methods may not require aggressive treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-anti-clotting-therapy-orthopaedic-surgery-trauma.html Surgery Sat, 01 Sep 2012 04:24:29 EST news265692254 (HealthDay) -- For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who undergo total hip replacement (THR), the rate of major venous thromboembolism (VTE) is significantly higher in those treated with enoxaparin compared to those treated with desirudin, according to a study published online June 4 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-higher-vte-ckd-surgical-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:30:01 EST news258376565 (Medical Xpress) -- Preventive use of blood thinners, or anticoagulants, in  people receiving outpatient treatment for cancer could prevent the development of blood clots and improve their quality of life, according to a study led by Margaret Ragni, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine within the division of hematology/oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The results will be presented at the 53rd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) on Saturday, Dec. 9. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-blood-thinners-cancer-patients.html Cancer Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:40:01 EST news242989970 Elderly people with atrial fibrillation are often treated with anticoagulants to thin the blood, but this medicine is hard to dose and patients have to have their blood tested regularly. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology have now devised a new method that improves the accuracy of risk assessments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-method-safer-dosing-anticoagulants.html Other Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:48:14 EST news242401682 (Medical Xpress) -- Patients who monitor their own treatment with warfarin or other blood-thinning drugs reduce their risk of developing blood clots by half, an Oxford University study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-blood-clot-halved-patients-warfarin.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:50:10 EST news241952023 Doctors are underutilising crucial medication to prevent deadly strokes in those with a common type of heart condition, new research says, leading to fresh calls for a review of current treatment strategies and more research into stroke prevention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-treatment.html Cardiology Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:27:20 EST news236593615 The risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding needs to be considered when determining the potential preventive benefits associated with low-dose aspirin for cardiovascular disease and cancer. According to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the use of low-dose aspirin increases the risk for GI bleeding, with the risk being increased further with accompanying use of cardiovascular disease-preventing therapies, such as clopidogrel and anticoagulants. In patients who took proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), bleeding risk decreased. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-low-dose-aspirin-gi.html Medical research Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:57:23 EST news235043813