Understanding hemostasis and coagulation are critical considerations in perioperative patient management. Sunday’s 2016 Journal Symposium “Coagulation 2016: New Drugs and New Data” will look at a variety of factors that are important in managing bleeding.

Jerrold H. Levy, M.D.

Among the topics to be discussed are the increased use of point-of-care monitors to evaluate hemostatic function, development of blood management strategies, applications of blood-factor concentrates and the role of oral anticoagulation agents for venous thromboembolic prophylaxis and stroke prevention

“One of the real revolutions in modern medicine has been the development of anticoagulants and other therapeutic agents in cardiovascular medicine,” said Jerrold H. Levy, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology, Associate Professor of Surgery and Co-Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Duke University Medical Center. “When patients present to the operating room following trauma or for procedural interventions, these drugs have important considerations for management.

“The newer direct oral anticoagulants are increasingly used in patients, and compared to warfarin they have improved outcomes related to bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage, as well as direct patient benefits, including more predictable effects. Further, there has been extensive work developing additional specific reversal and management strategies for perioperative management.”

Dr. Levy and Michael J. Avram, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, designed the symposium. The initial part of the program will provide an overview and update on hemostasis in perioperative management.

Alisa S. Wolberg, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, will explore some of the newest and most relevant scientific findings regarding proper clot formation. Clot formation and the appropriate modulation of clot formation pathways form the foundation of every therapy used to treat bleeding.

Marc Samama, M.D., Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at the Hotel Dieu University Hospital, Paris, will discuss the latest techniques and strategies for coagulation management for surgery and regional anesthesia.

Dr. Levy will discuss management with the new anticoagulants as well as the use of purified and recombinant strategies for prevention and treatment of bleeding. He will discuss data from recent clinical studies and potential implications for clinical practice.

The second half of the symposium will feature oral presentations of the top eight abstracts in coagulation submitted for the session.

“These presentations are from clinicians and investigators from around the world with an important clinical focus on understanding and managing bleeding during surgery and in the wider perioperative setting,” Dr. Levy said. “We also have several presentations, including studies of obstetrical bleeding and postpartum hemorrhage, another important topic for clinicians.”