Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure

Summary

Whether patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) should be anticoagulated is one of the oldest unresolved questions in cardiovascular therapeutics. Some authorities do not recommend anticoagulation for CHF patients in sinus rhythm, others recommend anticoagulation in patients with primary cardiomyopathy, and still others consider it more appropriate in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This absence of consensus reflects the lack of evidence in this area and different outlooks on the objectives of such therapy (e.g., prevention of arterial emboli or reduction in vascular events).

Timeline

Start

1998-10

Primary completion

2003-07

Completion

2004-12

Publications

• Background Massie BM, Krol WF, Ammon SE, Armstrong PW, Cleland JG, Collins JF, Ezekowitz M, Jafri SM, O'Connor CM, Packer M, Schulman KA, Teo K, Warren S. The Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Heart Failure trial (WATCH): rationale, design, and baseline patient characteristics. J Card Fail. 2004 Apr;10(2):101-12. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2004.02.006.
• Results Massie BM, Collins JF, Ammon SE, Armstrong PW, Cleland JG, Ezekowitz M, Jafri SM, Krol WF, O'Connor CM, Schulman KA, Teo K, Warren SR; WATCH Trial Investigators. Randomized trial of warfarin, aspirin, and clopidogrel in patients with chronic heart failure: the Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure (WATCH) trial. Circulation. 2009 Mar 31;119(12):1616-24. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.801753. Epub 2009 Mar 16.
• Results Patterson ME, Grant WC, Glickman SW, Massie BM, Ammon SE, Armstrong PW, Cleland JG, Collins JF, Teo KK, Schulman KA, Reed SD. Resource use and costs of treatment with anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents: results of the WATCH trial economic evaluation. J Card Fail. 2009 Dec;15(10):819-27. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2009.07.004. Epub 2009 Aug 21.

Drugs

Indications