Anticoagulants and antiplatelets
Warfarin: INR monitoring, many food and drug interactions, antidote vitamin K, slow onset and offset. Unfractionated heparin: aPTT or anti-Xa monitoring, short half-life, antidote protamine, risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Low molecular weight heparin: no routine monitoring, adjust for renal function and weight, subcutaneous, do not expel the air bubble, rotate sites, never rub. Direct oral anticoagulants: fixed dose, no routine monitoring, renal adjustment, short half-life so a missed dose matters. Antiplatelets (ASA, clopidogrel, ticagrelor): prevent arterial clots, not cardioembolic stroke.