Tarique Shahzad Chachar: Why Warfarin Remains the Gold Standard for Mechanical Heart Valves
Tarique Shahzad Chachar, Senior Clinical Educator at Bahrain Defence Force, Royal Medical Services (MKCC), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Warfarin remains a cornerstone of anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation who have mechanical prosthetic heart valves.
While DOACs are preferred for most patients with non-valvular AF, mechanical valve patients require vitamin K antagonist therapy with warfarin because DOACs are not recommended in this setting.
Key principles include maintaining the appropriate INR target according to valve type, valve position, and thromboembolic risk factors, regular INR monitoring, reviewing drug and dietary interactions, and promptly managing supratherapeutic INR or bleeding.
For mechanical valves, effective anticoagulation requires a careful balance between preventing valve thrombosis and systemic embolism while minimizing bleeding risk.
Right patient.
Right INR.
Right monitoring.
Safer outcomes.”

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