Updated Guidelines for Anticoagulation of Venous Thromboembolic Disease

Target Population: Clinicians treating patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep venous thrombosis (DVT)

Background

Since these guidelines were last published in 2012, the world of anticoagulation has been fundamentally changed by the development of non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs).

Key Recommendations

• In patients with venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) without cancer, NOACs (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or edoxaban) should be considered first-line therapy, followed by vitamin K antagonists (i.e., warfarin), and then low molecular weight heparin (LMWH).

• In patients with VTE and cancer, LMWH is first line therapy, then warfarin, and finally NOACs.

• For low-risk, isola…