Topic overview

Start with the big picture

The lesson compares major anticoagulant classes and connects their use to common clinical settings. It covers aPTT and platelet monitoring with unfractionated heparin, selective anti-Xa monitoring for low molecular weight heparin, and warfarin dose adjustment using INR, including the need for bridging during initiation. Direct oral anticoagulants are considered in relation to routine laboratory monitoring, renal function assessment, and optional testing in emergencies. The topic also addresses medication and dietary interactions with warfarin, periprocedural interruption, reversal approaches, bleeding management, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Together, these themes provide a framework for understanding how anticoagulant choice and monitoring vary across agents and patient circumstances.