Oral Anticoagulant Monitoring Research Articles

Implementation of a Telemedicine Direct Oral Anticoagulant Monitoring Program at a Safety-Net Hospital.

Purpose: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are the preferred choice of anticoagulation therapy for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism. Inadequate monitoring of patients on DOACs may lead to suboptimal outcomes and safety concerns. This project aimed to implement a standardized telemedicine-based DOAC monitoring service and track pharmacist-based interventions. Methods: This project was conducted at a safety-net hospital over 6 months. Anticoagulation pharmacists developed a scheduling process for telemedicine DOAC follow-up appointments, integrated them into the electronic health record, and implemented standardized protocols and documentation tools. Outcomes of interest included the average number of pharmacist interventions per encounter and per patient. Results: One hundred sixty-four encounters involving 120 patients were included in the analysis. 92.7% of encounters resulted in at least 1 intervention, with 73.8% involving an education intervention. The average number of interventions per patient was 2.0, with 37.2% of encounters having multiple interventions. Conclusion: Implementation of a standardized telemedicine-based monitoring service allowed for pharmacist identification and management of issues related to DOAC therapy. These findings emphasize the importance of pharmacist-led interventions and telemedicine-based follow-up of DOAC therapy.

A new strategy for monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with cyanotic and complex congenital heart disease

BackgroundPatients with congenital heart disease (CHD) often require an oral anticoagulation. Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are the standard treatment, however, an increased hematocrit in patients with secondary erythrocytosis due to cyanosis complicates the correct measurement of the international normalized ratio. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) could be an alternative, but data on their efficacy and safety in complex and cyanotic CHD patients are scarce. This study proposes a new strategy of DOAC monitoring in these patients using D-dimers and DOAC trough levels. MethodsThis is a retrospective study including cyanotic and complex CHD patients requiring oral anticoagulation. Clinical, cardiac imaging and laboratory data were collected before and after start of DOAC. The new monitoring strategy consists of determination of D-dimers and DOAC trough levels at 1–4 weeks, 1–6 months, 6–12 months, >1 year after start of DOAC. ResultsEleven patients were included. For 10 patients D-dimers and DOAC trough levels were in target range. In one patient, D-dimers increased continuously after start of DOAC despite dose escalation, suggesting insufficient DOAC efficacy and finally requiring a switch to VKA. D-dimers subsequently decreased under VKA to the therapeutic range. In three patients, one thromboembolic and two minor bleeding complications occurred. No major complications were observed. ConclusionsWe propose a new strategy of monitoring of oral anticoagulation with DOAC and report its implementation in clinical routine. Highlighting the importance of pharmacokinetic and -dynamic monitoring, this strategy could improve safety and efficacy of DOAC in cyanotic and complex CHD which, however, requires a prospective validation.

Chinese expert consensus on home management of oral anticoagulants(2024 edition)

Oral anticoagulants are widely used in the home care of patients who require prevention and treatment of thromboembolic diseases. The irrational use of anticoagulants may cause thrombosis and hemorrhage. Currently, there are no national or international guidelines or consensus providing recommendations for home management of oral anticoagulants. Therefore, the Hospital Pharmacy Professional Committee of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association organized domestic experts in the fields of clinical pharmacy, cardiovascular surgery, cardiovascular medicine, vascular surgery, respiratory medicine and laboratory science to sort out the relevant issues and compile the expert consensus on the home management of oral anticoagulants. The main contents of this consensus include pharmacological monitoring of oral anticoagulants, the process and precautions of carrying out home management of oral anticoagulants, and treatment of some special conditions during home management, with the aim of enhancing the safety and effectiveness of oral anticoagulants' usage and reducing the adverse events.

Challenges to Laboratory Monitoring of Direct Oral Anticoagulants.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) exert anticoagulation effect by directly inhibiting Factor Xa (rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban) or thrombin (dabigatran). Though DOACs are characterized by fixed-dose prescribing and generally do not require routine laboratory drug-level monitoring (DLM), circumstances may arise where the DLM may aid in clinical decision-making, including DOAC dose adjustment, anticoagulant class change, or decisions to withhold or administer reversal agents. We review the current literature that describes high-risk patient groups in which DLM may be beneficial for improved patient anticoagulation management and stewardship. The review also summarizes the limitations of conventional coagulation testing and discuss the emerging utility of quantitative methods for routine and rapid emergent evaluation of DOAC drug levels-in particular, the Anti-Xa activity to detect Factor Xa Inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban). Both technical and regulatory barriers to widespread DLM implementation are limiting factors to further clinical research that must be overcome, in order to propose universal DOAC DLM strategies and provide clinical-laboratory correlation to formally classify high-risk patient groups.

Future Innovations in Novel Detection for Atrial Fibrillation (FIND-AF): pilot study of an electronic health record machine learning algorithm-guided intervention to identify undiagnosed atrial fibrillation

IntroductionAtrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a fivefold increased risk of stroke. Oral anticoagulation reduces the risk of stroke, but AF is elusive. A machine learning algorithm (Future Innovations in...

Development of a Framework Structuring Themes in the Course of Adverse Drug Reactions from a Patient's Perspective.

There is a need for more extensive information about adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for patients than currently available, including information on the course of ADRs. Aspects characterising the course of ADRs from the patient perspective have not been identified before. We aimed to develop a framework based on common themes in the course of ADRs identified from patient descriptions in patient-reported ADRs. In this qualitative study, patient descriptions of the course of patient-reported ADRs were analysed by a thematic analysis with an inductive approach using three different existing datasets containing patient-reported ADRs. Two datasets included patient-reported ADRs from cohort event monitoring of biologics and direct oral anticoagulants and one dataset included spontaneous reports from patients concerning medication for lower urinary tract symptoms. A conceptual framework was developed from the identified main themes and subthemes. Patient-reported data concerning 3888 ADRs were analysed. Six main themes with multiple subthemes were identified from patient descriptions of the course of ADRs. Four themes were descriptive: frequency of an ADR episode, duration of an ADR episode, moment or period of ADR occurrence, and development in the intensity of the ADR. Two themes concerned factors influencing the course of ADRs: triggering factors and improving factors. The presented framework illustrates that patients describe extensive details on the course and timeframe of ADRs. The identified themes provide a basis for improving the systematic data collection of more extensive details about ADRs from patients as a first step towards the provision of more comprehensive ADR information to patients.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Extremely Low and High Body Weight-Pilot Study.

Phase III clinical trials for individual direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) contained a limited representation of subjects with abnormal body weight, which were mostly limited to a BMI > 40 kg/m2, or body weight > 120 kg for obese subjects, and <50 kg for underweight subjects. Although low or high body weight is not a contraindication to DOACs therapy, it can significantly affect the safety and effectiveness of treatment. Due to the limited amount of clinical data on the use of DOACs in extremely abnormal weight ranges, optimal pharmacotherapy in this group of patients is a matter of controversy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of DOAC properties in patients with abnormal body weight beyond the established cut-off points in the phase III studies for rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran. In total, 38 patients took DOACs for at least 12 months for non-valvular atrial fibrillation in 2019-2021. Blood samples were collected before the planned intake of the drug and 4 h after its administration. The determined concentrations of DOACs were statistically analyzed in relation to body weight, age, and eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate). Among subjects taking apixaban, rivaroxaban, and dabigatran, the smallest representation of patients who achieved therapeutic concentrations were those treated with dabigatran. The population of people with abnormal body weight is a potential risk group of patients, in which some of them do not reach the therapeutic range of DOACs.

Direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) monitoring within primary care: a quality improvement project

BackgroundPoor monitoring of anticoagulants is a significant area of patient safety. It can lead to the dichotomous risk of haemorrhage/clotting without appropriate counselling and monitoring. While healthcare professionals may be...

A high-throughput LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of direct oral anticoagulants in human plasma.

Direct oral anticoagulants are widely used in many indications to prevent thromboembolic events. Routine therapeutic monitoring is not required; however, there is increasing evidence suggesting the benefit of plasma level measurement in some situations. In addition, laboratory monitoring might help improve patient and drug non-compliance and thus individualize therapy. In the present study, we developed a sensitive and high throughput ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban in human plasma. A one-step extraction procedure in 96-well formate for phospholipid and protein removal was used for sample pre-treatment, and analytes were separated using gradient elution over 4.2 min. Analytes were detected on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method was validated according to the European Medicine Agency guideline for the selectivity, linearity and lower limit of detection, precision and accuracy, matrix effects, extraction recovery, carryover, dilution integrity and stability over a concentration range of 3.0-1000 ng/mL for all analytes. The validated method was applied to real clinical samples of patients treated with one of the drugs. Therefore, we can conclude that our method is suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

To Measure or Not to Measure: Direct Oral Anticoagulant Laboratory Assay Monitoring in Clinical Practice.

The need for therapeutic drug monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) remains an area of clinical equipoise. Although routine monitoring may be unnecessary given predictable pharmacokinetics in most patients, there may be altered pharmacokinetics in those with end organ dysfunction, such as those with renal impairment, or with concomitant interacting medications, at extremes of body weight or age, or in those with thromboembolic events in atypical locations. We aimed to assess real-world practices in situations in which DOAC drug-level monitoring was used at a large academic medical center. A retrospective review of the records of patients who had a DOAC drug-specific activity level checked from 2016 to 2019 was included. A total of 119 patients had 144 DOAC measurements (apixaban (n = 62) and rivaroxaban (n = 57)). Drug-specific calibrated DOAC levels were within an expected therapeutic range for 110 levels(76%), with 21 levels (15%) above the expected range and 13 levels (9%) below the expected range. The DOAC levels were checked in the setting of an urgent or emergent procedure in 28 patients (24%), followed by renal failure in 17 patients (14%), a bleeding event in 11 patients (9%), concern for recurrent thromboembolism in 10 patients (8%), thrombophilia in 9 patients (8%), a history of recurrent thromboembolism in 6 patients (5%), extremes of body weight in 7 patients (5%), and unknown reasons in 7 patients (5%). Clinical decision making was infrequently affected by the DOAC monitoring. Therapeutic drug monitoring with DOACs may help predict bleeding events in elderly patients, those with impaired renal function, and in the event of an emergent or urgent procedure. Future studies are needed to target the select patient-specific scenarios where monitoring DOAC levels may impact clinical outcomes.

Monitoring of Anticoagulant Activity of Dabigatran and Rivaroxaban in the Presence of Heparins.

The routine monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) may be considered in patients with renal impairment, patients who are heavily obese, or patients requiring elective surgery. Using the heparin-binding copolymer (HBC) and polybrene, we aimed to develop a solution for monitoring the anticoagulant activity of DOACs in human plasma in the interfering presence of unfractionated heparin (UFH) and enoxaparin. The thrombin time (TT) and anti-factor Xa activity were monitored in pooled plasma from healthy volunteers. In these tests, plasma with dabigatran or rivaroxaban was mixed with UFH or enoxaparin and then incubated with HBC or polybrene, respectively. HBC and polybrene neutralized heparins and enabled monitoring of anticoagulant activity of dabigatran in the TT test. Both agents allowed for accurate measurement of anti-factor Xa activity in the plasma containing rivaroxaban and heparins in the concentration range reached in patients’ blood. Here, we present diagnostic tools that may improve the control of anticoagulation by eliminating the contamination of blood samples with heparins and enabling the monitoring of DOACs’ activity.

Three‐year clinical interventions from an outpatient multidisciplinary direct oral anticoagulant monitoring service

AbstractIntroductionDirect oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are increasingly utilized for the prevention of thrombotic events. Unlike warfarin they do not require drug‐level monitoring making dedicated DOAC monitoring uncommon. The purpose of this study is to describe the interventions made by a DOAC monitoring service over 3 years.Materials and MethodsThis was a single‐center prospective observational study of patients seen at an outpatient clinic between February 14, 2017 and February 13, 2020. Following referral patients met a pharmacist for a DOAC‐specific visit. Patient demographics and clinical interventions were collected for all patients. Continuous quality improvement status was received from the local Institutional Review Board.ResultsA total of 153 patients completing 336 visits were included. The median age was 75 years (interquartile range [IQR] 69‐81) and 41.2% were male. Apixaban was the most common DOAC (82.4% of visits) and atrial fibrillation (AF) was the most common indication (69.7% of visits). A total of 299 interventions were made over 336 visits with an average of 0.9 interventions per visit; the first visit had an average of 1.1 interventions per visit made. Need for updated laboratory monitoring (101 visits, 30.1% of visits) was the most common intervention. There were 94 interventions related to nonadherence and 24 interventions for incorrect dosing due to renal function, drug‐drug interaction, or indication.ConclusionsA DOAC monitoring service frequently made interventions. Routine DOAC monitoring should be considered for all patients. It remains unclear if routine DOAC monitoring reduces the rate of clinical outcomes.

Pharmacist monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the outpatient setting

BackgroundDirect oral anticoagulants (DOACs) call into question the role of traditional pharmacist-run clinics, and few studies have described the incorporation of DOAC’s into traditional anticoagulation management services (AMS) ObjectiveTo describe the incorporation of DOACs into a pharmacist-run AMS for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients and determine outcomes related to adherence, follow-up, and pharmacist interventions. Practice descriptionTraditional AMS embedded in ambulatory clinic. Warfarin managed by pharmacists under a collaborative practice agreement with supervising physician. Practice innovationDOACs incorporated into AMS by transitioning warfarin patients to rivaroxaban and apixaban and managing new patients with DOAC. Follow-up occurred via phone call and at longer intervals. Evaluation methodsSingle-center, retrospective, observational analysis of AI/AN patients who were followed up by pharmacy AMS. The outcomes measured include adherence to DOAC therapy, number of telephonic encounters versus face-to-face visits, frequency of follow-up, types of interventions made at each visit, and an estimate of face-to-face clinic time savings. ResultsA total of 50 patients were included for analysis. The average medication possession ratio was 91%. The majority of visits occurred over the phone (59%), and most follow-up visits occurred every 3 months (62%). The top 3 most frequent interventions were adherence education, initial DOAC education, and education on use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Practice implicationsTraditional AMS can evolve by incorporating DOACs and maintaining follow-up. ConclusionPharmacist monitoring of DOACs may promote high levels of adherence and lead to time savings by reducing the amount of time spent in traditional AMS.

Influence of direct oral anticoagulants on thrombin generation on Ceveron TGA.

Monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with calibrated anti-Xa assay is limited by the high intra- and interindividual variations of the test results. Thrombin generation (TG) is a global hemostatic assay that reflects the patient´s individual coagulation status. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of DOACs on TG measured with a fully automated assay system. All consecutive patients under apixaban and rivaroxaban coming to the outpatient coagulation center MVZ Limbach, Magdeburg, Germany between October 2017 and April 2020 were included. DOAC plasma levels were correlated with TG assessed using the fully automated Ceveron TG analyzer. A total of 703 rivaroxaban and 252 apixaban containing plasma samples were included. There was a significant correlation between DOAC plasma levels and all TG parameters except for lag time regarding apixaban. Time to peak and peak thrombin followed an exponential regression curve, while this was linear for the endogenous thrombin potential (ETP). Apixaban showed a lower correlation coefficient for all TG parameters compared with rivaroxaban, and thrombin generation was less influenced by apixaban than rivaroxaban at plasma levels >100ng/ml. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of normal TG parameters for the prediction of DOAC plasma levels <30ng/ml was >85%. The present data show a moderate predominantly nonlinear correlation between TG parameters and plasma levels of apixaban and rivaroxaban. Rivaroxaban has a stronger effect on TG than apixaban.

Rapid simultaneous clinical monitoring of five oral anti-coagulant drugs in human urine using green microextraction technique coupled with LC–MS/MS

ObjectivesThere is no analytical method for simultaneous monitoring of warfarin and novel direct oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in human urine samples in a single run in the clinics. Although several studies have reported their measurements in human blood samples, but its sample collection is more invasive and time-consuming, thereby challenging to monitor frequently. MethodsIn this work, we developed a fast microextraction technique (ultrasound-assisted salt-induced liquid-liquid microextraction, USA-SI-LLME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) to rapidly quantify four commonly used NOACs drugs (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban) and warfarin in human urine samples. USA-SI-LLME conditions were optimized using a water-miscible organic solvent as an extraction solvent, high salt concentrations, sample pH, and extraction time (∼5.5 min). Results and conclusionsThe analytical method showed excellent linearities from 0.5 to 500 μg/L for apixaban, edoxaban, rivaroxaban, warfarin, and 1 ∼ 500 μg/L for dabigatran. Intra- and inter-day precision values were <9.31% and R2 > 0.99 for all analytes. Limits of detection ranged between 0.07 ∼ 0.18 μg/L, and relative recoveries ranged between 92.18 and 110.15%. This method was successfully applied to analyze 15 one-spot urine samples from 15 clinical patients who regularly took warfarin or NOACs, and high accuracy was found. We concluded that this method could be used as a non-invasive high-throughput and rapid monitoring of NOACs and warfarin in human urine in clinical settings and could provide timely analysis during emergency care.

Therapeutic monitoring of direct oral anticoagulants — an 8-year observational study

Introduction: For years, anticoagulants have been the basic group of drugs that slow down, inhibit or prevent blood clotting by inhibiting thrombin formation or reducing its activity. Treatment with DOACs does not require routine anticoagulation monitoring due to their wide therapeutic index. However, there are circumstances where it may be necessary to know the drug levels to manage the risk of side effects or to confirm laboratory efficacy. In such a situation, an indication for DOAC laboratory testing could be the suspicion of excessively high or low DOAC levels. The aim of this article was to determine trends in concentrations of DOACs in a real life population of patients. Material and methods: Consultations in clinical pharmacology extended with DOAC level assessments were performer in the Department of Cardiology and Clinical Pharmacology. The trial was designed as a retrospective analysis of laboratory analyses and included 480 laboratory tests performed in 236 patients. Results: Mean CHA 2 DS 2- VASc scoring 3.91 ±1.92 and HAS-BLED scoring 3.57 ±1.75 indicated high risks of both thrombosis and bleeding. Geometric mean of trough concentrations for dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban were 91.53 ng/mL, 62.74 ng/mL and 124.81 ng/mL, whereas peak concentrations for all DOACs were significantly higher, at 220.80 ng/mL ( p &lt; 0.0001), 116.59 ng/mL ( p &lt; 0.0001) and 186.18 ng/mL ( p =0.0354), respectively. Values for males and females did not differ significantly. Dose adjustment, performed according to rules described for every drug in registered drug characteristics, did not change significantly concentrations. Trough concentrations higher than 20 ng/mL were found at the 10 th percentile for all DOACs, but higher at 40 ng/mL at the 5 th percentile was found only for apixaban. Peak concentration lower than 400 ng/mL were for the 95 th percentile for apixaban and for the 90 th percentile for dabigatran and rivaroxaban. Conclusion: Monitoring-based pharmacotherapy with DOACs should be restricted only to specific clinical settings; in the general population, it is not necessary. Recently, in many experienced centers, therapeutic drug monitoring of DOACs has gained great importance in selected clinical settings and it very likely will soon become commonplace in clinical practice.

Does One Dose Really Fit All? On the Monitoring of Direct Oral Anticoagulants: A Review of the Literature.

There is an increasing amount of literature on direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) laboratory monitoring. The aims of the present review were to evaluate published data on monitoring DOACs, to provide clinical guidance on how to interpret results, and to summarize why, when, and how to monitor DOACs. The publications screened for this review were obtained through a PubMed search for articles published in English or French before April 2019 that had the following as their main themes: DOAC monitoring, DOAC exposure-effect relationship, DOAC drug interactions, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of DOACs. DOACs show important inter- and intrapersonal concentration variability and a significant exposure-effect relationship. Concentrations out of the expected range have been shown to lead to an increased adverse event rate and a lower efficacy. No definitive therapeutic range exists for DOACs except for dabigatran for which trough levels of 40 to 200 ng/mL seem to be the consensus. Indications to monitor include suspected drug accumulation in special patient populations, suspected drug failure, and acute situations such as hemorrhagic or thrombotic events. There is a likely benefit to monitor DOACs in order to improve their safety and efficacy but randomized controlled trials are required to determine the therapeutic range of these drugs and evaluate whether DOAC monitoring can improve outcomes in a clinical setting.

The role of clinical pharmacy anticoagulation services in direct oral anticoagulant monitoring

The role of dedicated anticoagulation management services (AMS) for patients receiving direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) therapy is unclear. The objective of our study was to describe DOAC management in patients who were and were not managed by an AMS. We conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients with atrial fibrillation at the University of Utah Health (UUH) who received DOAC therapy between January 2013 and June 2016. Patients in the AMS group were managed by a pharmacist-led AMS whereas those in the non-AMS group were managed by other providers. The number and type of provider encounters and interventions related to DOAC therapy and a composite endpoint of thromboembolism, bleeding, and all-cause mortality were recorded. Overall, 90 and 370 patients were managed in the AMS and non-AMS groups, respectively. AMS group patients had greater chronic disease burden as measured by the Charlson comorbidity index. AMS group patients had more frequent DOAC-related encounters than non-AMS group patients but both groups had similar DOAC therapy intervention rates. Over half of patients in the AMS group received potentially duplicative interventions from their regular clinicians. The composite endpoint occurred in 18.9% and 13.5% of AMS and non-AMS group patients, respectively (p = 0.29). Patients managed by AMS providers were more complex and had more frequent encounters regarding their DOAC therapy than those managed by non-AMS providers. However, there was evidence of duplicative DOAC therapy management efforts. No difference between AMS and non-AMS groups in the composite clinical endpoint was detected.

Do computerized clinical decision support systems improve the prescribing of oral anticoagulants? A systematic review

BackgroundSerious adverse drug reactions have been associated with the underuse or the misuse of oral anticoagulant therapy. We systematically reviewed the impact of computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSS) on the prescribing of oral anticoagulants and we described CDSS features associated with success or failure. MethodsWe searched Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, CINHAL, and PsycINFO for studies that compared CDSS for the initiation or monitoring of oral anticoagulants with routine care. Two reviewers performed study selection, data collection, and risk-of-bias assessment. Disagreements were resolved with a third reviewer. Potentially important CDSS features, identified from previous literature, were evaluated. ResultsSixteen studies were included in our qualitative synthesis. Most trials were performed in primary care (n = 7) or hospitals (n = 6) and included atrial fibrillation (AF) patients (n = 9). Recommendations mainly focused on anticoagulation underuse (n = 11) and warfarin-drug interactions (n = 5). Most CDSS were integrated in electronic records or prescribing and provided support automatically at the time and location of decision-making. Significant improvements in practitioner performance were found in 9 out of 16 studies, while clinical outcomes were poorly reported. CDSS features seemed slightly more common in studies that demonstrated improvement. ConclusionsCDSS might positively impact the use of oral anticoagulants in AF patients at high risk of stroke. The scope of CDSS should now evolve to assist prescribers in selecting the most appropriate and tailored medication. Efforts should nevertheless be made to improve the relevance of notifications and to address implementation outcomes.

Oral anticoagulant monitoring: Are we on the right track?

Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) cannot be administered without regular monitoring in order to assure their efficacy and safety. Indeed, if well managed, the VKAs appear to be no less efficacious or safe than the newer direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Although it is claimed that no regular monitoring of the DOACs is needed, their levels are increasingly being measured under a variety of circumstances, for example, prior to surgery, in suspected overdose, to confirm effective reversal, in patients with malabsorption and to assess patient compliance. Although no therapeutic range has been identified for the DOACs, it has been demonstrated for dabigatran and edoxaban that their antithrombotic effect increases gradually with increasing concentrations and that the risk of major bleeding also gradually increases. Furthermore, it has been determined that almost all dabigatran-related thrombotic events occur in patients with the lowest quartile concentration of the drug. This suggests that to assure an ideal effect of DOACs in all patients taking them, some form of regular monitoring and dose tailoring should be performed. For the vitamin K antagonists, the best outcome is obtained using formal algorithms and centralized management. Furthermore, data suggest that replacing the standard prothrombin time as a monitoring test may increase the stability of VKA anticoagulation with consequent reduction in thromboembolism without an increase in bleeding. Thus, it is likely that the outcome of all current oral anticoagulants can be improved in the coming years by improving monitoring and tailoring their effect.