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An important contraindication concerns patients with a prosthetic heart valve. All of these new anticoagulants should be avoided in any patients with prosthetic heart valves. A recently published study[14] looking at dabigatran demonstrated that there are not only more thromboses but also an increased risk of major bleeding with these agents. So patients with a prosthetic heart valve who develops a DVT cannot be treated with one these new agents and will have to remain on warfarin. Hylek E. Am J Med 2013; published on-line at http://education.amjmed.com/00000.
[14] Van de Werf F, Brueckmann M, Connolly SJ, et al. A comparison of dabigatran etexilate with warfarin in patients with mechanical heart valves: The Randomized, phase II study to Evaluate the sAfety and pharmacokinetics of oraL dabIGatran etexilate in patients after heart valve replacemeNt (RE-ALIGN) randomized, phase II study to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of oral dabigatran etexilate in patients after heart valve replacement (RE-ALIGN). Am Heart J. 2012;163:931-937.