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Atrial fibrillation Dabigatran/Rivaroxaban/Apixaban General Medicine

Rivaroxaban: The next non-warfarin oral blood thinner

The unrelenting epidemic of inactivity and excessive eating wreaks havoc on more than just the heart and blood vessels. Lugging around extra weight also breaks down the joints and back. For evidence, look no further than the waiting room of any orthopedist; the people waiting for joint replacements look the same as those waiting to […]

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Atrial fibrillation Dabigatran/Rivaroxaban/Apixaban Health Care

A coumadin substitute, we are almost there…

I have heard this for years, “Doc, that stuff is rat poison!” But only lately have I heard this, “Doctor M, that company who can’t talk about their drug brought lunch again today.” Well, it is finally here (well almost), the first warfarin substitute, dabigatran. Sine antiquity, or at least it seems that long, the blood […]

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Atrial fibrillation Dabigatran/Rivaroxaban/Apixaban Health Care Reform

Dabigatran excitement is building…

This morning I am told, “Dr Mandrola, there are two ladies from this company, Boehinger Ingelheim, who need to to give you a secret, sealed envelope.”   I wonder whether the department of Health and Human Services knows about this exciting new potential warfarin substitute.  Surely they do, as replacing the ubiquitous blood thinner warfarin with […]

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Atrial fibrillation Dabigatran/Rivaroxaban/Apixaban Health Care

Dabigatran: Finally a substitute for the dreaded coumadin is close…

Much energy in previous posts have centered on the ablation of heart rhythm disturbances.  Navigating a GPS guided catheter through the beating heart, triangulating the source of the ectopic impulse, and then delivering a cautery-like RF lesion is fun to do, gratifying to all involved, and makes for decent writing topics. However cool ablation is […]