Acta cardiologica
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Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is a well-recognised complication of ischaemic and non-ischaemic heart disease. The incidence of this complication has drastically reduced due to reperfusion therapies. Current guidelines recommend using warfarin for at least three months. But, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used as an off-label alternative to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) to treat LVT. In this article, we will review the use of DOACs for the treatment of LVT. ⋯ Based on our review, DOACs are likely to be at least as effective and safer as VKA for stroke prevention and thrombus resolution in patients with LVT.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted the availability of cardiology services and management of cardiac conditions. Elective surgeries, outpatient appointments and cardiac imaging have been largely cancelled across the world due to the risk of infection transmission and the need for reallocation of resources to deal with the increasing number of COVID-19 patients. ⋯ In this review, we discuss the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac services including interventional cardiology services, cardiac imaging and outpatient appointments. In addition, implications for future research and clinical practice are also discussed.