Oral anticoagulant treatment with and without aspirin.

For preventing thromboembolic events, the concurrent use of oral anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs has been proposed. In prosthetic heart valves the use of moderate intensity anticoagulants [International Normalized Ratio (INR) 2-3] plus aspirin (100 mg/day) decreases the amount and severity of embolic episodes. The possibility that the same regimen could provide benefit in the prevention of thrombotic events in other arterial diseases is also indicated by the ATACS trial in unstable angina. The ongoing studies in ischemic heart diseases will also give the answer to this possibility.