The New ACCP Guidelines on Antithrombotic Therapy Have Arrived

Every few years since 1986, the American College of Chest Physicians has published practice guidelines on antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis; many clinicians regard these guidelines as the “gold standard” in the field. The ninth edition has just been published as a supplement to the February 2012 issue of Chest.

The guidelines now consist of 24 articles and more than 800 pages. The Executive Summary, an introduction, and a methodology article are available in print and are freely accessible electronically; the rest of the articles are available only electronically and access is limited to subscribers only. The guidelines include recommendations on oral and parenteral anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs, prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism, perioperative management of antithrombotic therapy, and antithrombotic therapies for cardiovascular diseases.