St. Joe’s Researchers Develop Guidance Documents for New Blood Thinners
Researchers at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton have collaborated with thrombosis specialists across North America and internationally to establish a series of guidance documents for treating blood clots with new blood thinners available on the market.
“In the last five or six years, there have been dramatic changes in the number of blood thinners available for clinicians,” states Dr. Mark Crowther, Hematologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Professor and Chair at the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, and President of the Anticoagulation Forum. “These documents provide practical advice for clinicians on when and how to use these new blood thinners compared to traditional treatments.”
The formation of blood clots is a common symptom that affects approximately 1-2 in 1,000 Canadians per year. The development of guidance documents helps clinicians to provide better and more accurate treatments to patients at risk of clotting.
The published papers work through a range of real-world clinical situations that may be encountered by emergency room physicians, internists, cardiologists, hematologists, and others. To facilitate the use of the papers by front-line clinicians, the papers are all available for free download through the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis.
These guidance documents are designed to provide advice to clinicians in settings both with, and without, evidence. In the latter case, expert opinion is used to make recommendations.
The series of studies was commissioned by the Anticoagulation Forum, an education-based group of anticoagulation professionals that represents over 5,000 members across North America.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton researchers – along with 50 other experts from the Anticoagulation Forum and elsewhere – incorporated both evidence-based data and a consensus of expert opinion to develop their findings.