Daniel Hernández-Mejía, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia
Jorge M. Largo-Gil, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia
Diego A. Vargas-Hernández, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia
Andres Vega, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia
Gustavo Palomino, Departamento de Cardiología, Hospital Militar Central, Bogotá, Colombia
Marisol Carreño-Jaimes, Departamento de Cardiología, Hospital Militar Central, Bogotá, Colombia
Alejandro Narváez-Orozco, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
Sebastián Largo, Departamento de Medicina, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
Introduction: Vitamin K antagonists have proven effective for anticoagulation but require frequent monitoring and are associated with a risk of bleeding. The advent of direct oral anticoagulants, which offer a more favorable safety profile, has promoted the establishment of anticoagulation clinics as a strategy to optimize therapeutic follow-up and reduce complications. Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and assess the incidence of bleeding events, thromboembolic events, and overall mortality in patients managed at an anticoagulation clinic. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at an anticoagulation clinic in Colombia. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and anticoagulation-related adverse event data were collected. Results: A total of 305 patients were included (median age: 65 years; 58% male). The main indications for anticoagulation were venous thromboembolism (38.6%) and atrial fibrillation (24.5%). Bleeding occurred in 14.1% of patients (4.9% major bleeding, 9.2% minor bleeding), thromboembolic events in 8.6%, and overall mortality was 1.4%. The average time in therapeutic range among warfarin users was 42%. Conclusions: Venous thromboembolism was the leading indication for long-term anticoagulation, with warfarin being the most commonly used anticoagulant. Despite the incidence of complications, overall mortality remained low. However, the suboptimal therapeutic control among warfarin users highlights the need to improve management strategies in anticoagulation clinics in similar settings.
Keywords: Anticoagulants. Bleeding. Thromboembolism. Anticoagulation clinic.
