¿Qué aportan los nuevos anticoagulantes en la prevención del tromboembolismo venoso y arterial?

Over the last decades, the only available oral anticoagulants were antivitamin K (AVK). The efficacy of the AVKs has been demonstrated, although they entail many disadvantages which require periodic monitoring of their anticoagulation action to adjust the doses. The new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic advantages because they can be administered orally at fixed doses without requiring monitorization. In the prevention of venous thromboembolic disease (VTD) after orthopedic surgery, NOACs have been shown to have a superior or similar efficacy to enoxaparin and similar safety. However, in the treatment and prevention of recurrences of VTD and in the prevention of stroke and systemic arterial embolisms in patients with nonvalvular auricular fibrillation, the NOACs have shown similar or greater efficacy as AVK and a superior safety profile with a very significant reduction in the rate of intracranial hemorrhages.