The role of oral anticoagulant therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a P2Y ₁₂ receptor antagonist represents the current standard of care to prevent atherothrombotic recurrences in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, despite the use of DAPT, the recurrence rate of cardiovascular ischemic events still remains high. This persistent risk may be in part attributed to the sustained activation of the coagulation cascade leading to generation of thrombin, which may continue to play a key role in thrombus formation. The use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) as a strategy to reduce atherothrombotic recurrences after an ACS has been previously tested, leading to overall unfavorable outcomes due to the high risk of bleeding complications. The recent introduction of non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs), characterized by a better safety profile and ease of use compared with VKA, has led to a reappraisal of the use of oral anticoagulant therapy for secondary prevention in ACS patients. The present article provides an overview of the rationale and prognostic role of oral anticoagulant therapy in ACS patients as well as recent updated clinical data, in particular with NOACs, in the field and future perspectives on this topic.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: Dr. Angiolillo reports receiving payments as an individual for: (a) consulting fee or honorarium from Amgen, Aralez, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Biosensors, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chiesi, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, PLx Pharma, Pfizer, Sanofi, and The Medicines Company; (b) participation in review activities from CeloNova and St. Jude Medical. Institutional payments for grants from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Biosensors, CeloNova, CSL Behring, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eisai, Eli-Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Merck, Novartis, Osprey Medical, and Renal Guard Solutions; in addition, Dr. Angiolillo is recipient of a funding from the Scott R. MacKenzie Foundation and the NIH/NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award to the University of Florida UL1 TR000064 and NIH/NHGRI U01 HG007269, outside the submitted work.