Anticoagulation of cardiomyopathy in children

Abstract

Objectives Cardiomyopathy is a common cause of heart failure in children. Thrombosis is a potential significant secondary complication. Thus warfarin is recommended by the American College of Chest Physicians for the treatment of children with cardiomyopathy despite the lack of published evidence to support its use. Methods A retrospective clinical audit to estimate the rates of major bleeding and incidence of thromboembolism associated with oral anticoagulant therapy (warfarin) for primary thromboprophylaxis in a cohort of children with cardiomyopathy. Relevant outcomes including thrombosis and major haemorrhage were defined a priori according to internationally accepted definitions. Result..