ACC/AHA revise valvular heart disease guidelines

ACC/AHA issue revision to valvular heart disease guidelines

A revision to the 1998 ACC/AHA practice guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease has been issued. Included are indications for anticoagulation in patients with prosthetic heart valves. All patients with mechanical prosthesis require warfarin therapy with a target INR of 2.5 to 3.5. The INR can be reduced to 2.0-3.0 in select patients. Aspirin is recommended for all patients with prosthetic heart valves (75 mg to 100 mg/day) and should be used alone for bioprosthesis and in combination with warfarin for mechanical heart valves and high-risk patients with bioprosthesis. The new guidelines are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and can be accessed on-line at http:// http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/reprint/48/3/598.

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