The author reviews the use of the main antithrombotic drugs (thrombolytics,
dicumarol compounds, heparins and anti-platelet drugs) in the treatment and prophylaxis of the main nosographic syndromes of arterial and
venous thrombosis. In the context of arterial
thrombosis the paper initially reports the results of the main controlled trials on ischemic cardiopathy (treatment of acute
infarction, primary and secondary prophylaxis for re-
infarction, post-
infarction ventricular
thrombosis, stable and instable coronary angor, percutaneous angioplasty, aortocoronary by-pass,
stent, valve
prosthesis,
atrial fibrillation). Turning to peripheral arteriopathies the treatment of acute attacks is death with separately from prophylactic treatment (reduction of atheromatous progression, improved vascular perfusion, reduction of concomitant cardiac and cerebral events, behaviour of
carotid stenoses). Vascular cerebropathy is examined during the acute (treatment of ictus in early days) and later phases (prophylaxis of recidivation of ictus). With regard to
venous thrombosis, the paper separates the treatment of profound
thrombosis and
pulmonary embolism (often secondary to the former) from prophylaxis of profound
thrombosis; the latter is classified into forms occurring during general surgery (abdominal, pelvic, urologic),
orthopedic surgery (
hip prosthesis, gonopathies) and general medicine. The author ends the review by making a schematic analysis of the areas of elective use of the above antithrombotic drugs with reference to the nosographical forms examined in the paper.