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Qayssar Joudah Fadheel, Rana Talib Naser, Hayder Abdul-Amir Al-Hindy *

Abstract

Background: Anticoagulant drugs are lifesaving agents that are prescribed for millions of patients annually. It is essential in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction, as well as deep venous thrombosis. Inaccuracies of their use will lead to life-threatening complications such as bleeding. This study was designed to evaluate and explore the prescribing practice of anticoagulants in the internal medicine ward of Al-Sadr Medical City, Al-Najaf governorate, Iraq.


Materials and Methods: The present study is a prospective, survey-based, that was carried out in the wards of internal medicine at Al-Sadr Medical City, during the period from October/2020 to April/2021.


Results: 20% of the patients admitted to the ward, were treated with anticoagulants and the rate of their prescribing in respect to all medications administered by the patients was 13%, enoxaparin is being the most commonly prescribed anticoagulant (51%), then unfractionated heparin (40%) and least one was the oral anticoagulant warfarin (9%). Most cases used the anticoagulant drug as monotherapy (92%), and only 8% used combined anticoagulants. The dose range of enoxaparin was about (4000 IU - 6000 IU) and the most frequent dose of enoxaparin reached was (10000 IU), the dose of heparin was about (5000 IU) and for warfarin was 5mg per day. The monitoring of the anticoagulant agents' activity was found to be very rare (8%).


Conclusion: The most prescribed anticoagulant was the low molecular weight heparin, and the monitoring of anticoagulants was poor.

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Keywords

heparin, enoxaparin, warfarin, monitoring, activity, anticoagulants

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