Pediatric Ingestions of Novel Antithrombotic Agents Are Usually Not Dangerous

Novel oral antithrombotic agents (e.g., apixaban, edoxaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor) are rapidly displacing aspirin and warfarin as the agents of choice for many patients who require long-term “blood thinners.” This inevitably leads to more opportunities for pediatric ingestions of these agents. These authors reviewed calls to seven poison control centers in four states (covering a total population of approximately 53 million) to determine the rate of bleeding complications after pediatric “exploratory” ingestions.

From 2005 to 2014 there were 638 ingestions of novel oral antithrombotic agents by children aged ≤6 years (median age, 2 years). Median doses ingested for each agent suggest that most children i…