No abstract

Intracardiac thrombus most commonly develops in the left atrial appendage (LAA) and left ventricle (LV) in the setting of atrial fibrillation (AF) and post-myocardial fibrillation (MI), respectively. Current guidelines recommend that patients with post-MI LV or LAA thrombus should be treated with vitamin K antagonist (VKA). However, the use of VKA may be limited by bleeding complications, interactions with various food and drugs, and a narrow therapeutic window requiring frequent monitoring. Thus, non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been attempted as an off-label use for the treatment of intracardiac thrombosis in light of their favorable pharmacologic profile. Until now, therapeutic effect of NOACs on intracardiac thrombosis has not been formally studied in large randomized controlled trials. This article aims to systematically review the literature regarding efficacy and safety outcome of NOACs in the management of intracardiac thrombus. Considering the high rate of complete thrombus resolution and low rate of thromboembolic or hemorrhagic complications, preliminary evidence from case series and reports indicate that NOACs (including factor Xa inhibitors and direct thrombin inhibitors) may be a safe and effective therapeutic option for intracardiac thrombosis, particularly in cases resistant to VKA therapy.

Background: Patients undergoing pancreatic resection frequently require rehabilitation facilities after hospital discharge. We evaluated the predictive role of validated markers of frailty on rehabilitation facility placement to identify patients who may require this service.Methods: Single-center retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent pancreatic resection from 2010 to 2015. 90-day morbidity and mortality were calculated. Postoperative validated markers of frailty (Activities of Daily Living scale, Braden scale [assesses pressure ulcer risk, lower scores = higher risk] and Morse fall scale) were evaluated via multivariate regression to identify predictors of discharge to rehabilitation facility.Results: 470 patients with complete data were included. Mean age was 62 and 49.2% were male.Postoperative median length of stay (LOS) was 8 (IQR 7-10). 92 (19.66%) patients were discharged to rehabilitation facilities and 138 (29.49%) patients were readmitted within 90 days. On multivariate analysis, age, sex, LOS > 8 days, inpatient Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) and initial Braden scale were predictive of rehabilitation placement. Conclusion:A marker of frailty routinely collected daily by nursing staff, the Braden scale, is available to help surgeons predict the need for postoperative rehabilitation placement after pancreatic resection. Engaging discharge planning services for at-risk patients may help prevent delayed hospital discharge and should be further evaluated.