Anticoagulation

The increasing incidence of thrombosis in hospitalized patients in the 21st century is due to improved awareness by clinicians and more sophisticated forms of imaging. Thromboprophylaxis is now an imperative in the NHS of the UK and this combined with new, improved and safer forms of anticoagulation means that postoperative deaths from venous thromboembolic disease should become a thing of the past. In the following paper the authors review the up-to-date literature with emphasis on the newer anticoagulants that do not require blood test monitoring. We fully accept that this is a developing field and that the recognized indications for certain of these agents will change with the accumulation of further evidence.