Summary
Newer oral anticoagulants offer several advantages over traditional agents (e.g. warfarin),
but they are still associated with a bleeding risk and currently there is no validated
reversal treatment for them. While there is little support for the use of fresh frozen
plasma, and limited data available on the effects of activated recombinant factor
VII, preclinical data suggest that prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) may have
potential in this setting. PCCs are currently used to successfully reverse warfarin-induced
anticoagulation; however, clinical evidence for their use with new oral anticoagulants
is lacking, with most of the available data coming from preclinical animal studies.
Furthermore, there appears to be variation in the ability of different PCCs to reverse
the coagulopathy induced by the new anticoagulants, and a lack of correlation between
the reversal of laboratory test results and the reversal of anticoagulant-induced
bleeding. Although there have been encouraging results, care must be taken in generalising
findings from animal models and nonbleeding human subjects to the situation in bleeding
patients. Ultimately, more evidence supporting anticoagulation reversal for new anticoagulants
is needed, particularly regarding the treatment of bleeding in human patients in a
clinical setting. According to the current evidence, use of PCCs may be considered
a reasonable approach in dire clinical situations; however, a consensus has not yet
been reached regarding PCC use or dosing, due to lack of clinical data.
Keywords
Prothrombin complex concentrate - direct thrombin inhibitors - FXa inhibitors - new
oral anticoagulants - anticoagulant reversal