New oral pharmacotherapeutic agents for venous thromboprophylaxis after total hip arthroplasty

Patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty(THA)are at high risk for developing venous thromboembolism and,therefore,require short term prophylaxis with antithrombotic agents.Recently,target specific oral anticoagulants(TSOA)including the direct thrombin inhibitor,dabigatran,and the factorⅩa inhibitors rivaroxaban,apixaban,and edoxaban have been approved for THA thrombopropylaxis in various countries.The TSOAs provide a rapid acting,oral alternative to parenteral agents including low-molecular weight heparins(LMWH)and fondaparinux;and compared to warfarin,they do not require routine laboratory monitoring and possess much fewer drug-drug interactions.Based on phaseⅢclinical studies,TSOAs have established themselvesas an effective and safe option for thromboprophylaxis after THA compared to LMWH,particularly enoxaparin,but require additional evaluation in specific populations such as the renally impaired or elderly.The ability to monitor and reverse these TSOAs in the case of bleeding complications or suspected sub-or supra-therapeutic anticoagulation is of importance,but remains investigational.This review will focus on the drug-specific characteristics,efficacy,safety,and economic impact of the TSOAs for thromboprophylaxis following THA,as well as the aspects of therapeutic monitoring and anticoagulation reversal in the event of bleeding complications or a need for urgent reversal.

Asthma in pregnancy

Asthma affects approximately 8% of women during pregnancy. Pregnancy results in a variable course for asthma control, likely contributed to by physiological changes affecting the respiratory, immune, and hor-monal systems. While asthma during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of maternal and fetal complications including malformations, available data also suggest that active asthma management and monitoring can decrease the risk of adverse outcomes. The diagnosis, disease classifcation, and goals for asthma management in the pregnant woman are the same as for nonpregnant patients. However, evidence shows that pregnant asthmatics are more likely to be under-treated, resulting in asthma exacerbations occurring in approximately one third and hospitalization in one tenth of patients. Pharmacotherapeutic management of asthma exacerbations in pregnant patients follows stan-dard treatment guidelines. In contrast, the principles of asthma maintenance therapy are slightly modified in the pregnant patient. Patients and practitioners may avoid use of asthma medications due to concern for a risk of fetal complications and malformations. A variable amount of information is available regarding the risk of a given asthma medication to cause adverse fetal out-comes, and it is preferable to use an inhaled product. Nevertheless, based on available data, the majority of asthma medications are regarded as safe for use during pregnancy. And, any increased risk to either the mother or fetus from medication use appears to be small compared to that associated with poor asthma control.