Alfonso J. Tafur: What Patients Fear Most When Anticoagulation Is Interrupted
Alfonso J. Tafur, Board Member VAS European Independent Foundation in Angiology and Vasculearn Network, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, adding:
”What worries patients the most when we ask them to stop anticoagulation before a procedure?
Delighted to see our manuscript is now published.
As clinicians, we spend a great deal of time discussing when to stop anticoagulants and when to restart them. We debate thrombotic risk, bleeding risk, pharmacokinetics, and guidelines.
But our patients are often thinking about something very different.
Our latest qualitative study explores the lived experience of patients navigating temporary interruption of anticoagulation using the PAUSE approach.
Through in-depth interviews, we identified several recurring themes that extend well beyond medication instructions:
- Communication and instruction clarity – Patients need simple, consistent, and actionable guidance rather than fragmented recommendations.
- Risk perception – Many struggle to balance the fear of bleeding against the fear of thrombosis, often overestimating one risk while underestimating the other.
- Emotional and adaptive responses – Anxiety, uncertainty, and the psychological burden of stopping a medication they associate with safety are common.
- Healthcare system gaps – Conflicting advice, difficulty reaching clinicians, and fragmented perioperative workflows create avoidable stress.
- Self-management and logistical challenges – Remembering medication schedules, coordinating procedures, transportation, work, and family responsibilities all influence adherence.
This work reminds us that successful perioperative anticoagulation management is not simply about following a protocol.
It is about understanding how patients experience that protocol. Patient Centered care requires designing systems that are not only clinically safe but also understandable, reassuring, and practical.
Qualitative research provides insights that randomized trials and registries cannot capture.
By listening to patients, we can improve communication, reduce uncertainty, and ultimately make evidence-based perioperative care more humane.
I look forward to hearing how others have addressed these challenges in their own practices.
Thank you International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) for the grant that supported.”
Title: Navigating the Pause: Patient Experiences With Perioperative Anticoagulation Interruption A Qualitative Study
Authors: Alfonso Tafur, Sally Jensen, Albert Marquez, Steven Greenberg, Barry Wallach, Jean Connors, Jerrold Levy, Marisa Durante, Alexis Preston, James Douketis
Stay updated on all scientific advances with Hemostasis Today.
-
Jul 28, 2026, 15:31Nancy Di Salvo: UNITAR and GBS|CIDP Foundation International Unite to Advance Plasma4Life
-
Jul 28, 2026, 15:09John Perrier: Connecting Through Science at ISTH 2026
-
Jul 28, 2026, 15:00Rucha Patil: Grateful to Contribute to the National Coagulation Conclave 2026
-
Jul 28, 2026, 14:51Islam Aboumoussa: A New Perspective on Dual Antithrombotic Therapy in Stroke Prevention
-
Jul 28, 2026, 14:40Marilena Vrana: Join the Conversation at Plasma Protein Forum 2026
-
Jul 28, 2026, 14:24Jon Wright: Pushing the Boundaries of Hemophilia Care
-
Jul 28, 2026, 14:11Improving Care for People with Bleeding Disorders Through Teamwork – WFH
-
Jul 28, 2026, 14:10Blessing Oluwasanya: When Heavy Periods Are More Than Just an Inconvenience
-
Jul 28, 2026, 13:46Manal Rayyan: Efanesoctocog Alfa Shows Excellent Real-World Performance