Thomas Vanassche, cardiologist at UZ Leuven, is less convinced. “We see that clotting is mainly a problem in very sick patients. We currently know much less about clotting problems in patients who are less ill and who therefore do not end up in the hospital. Blood thinners may not always be appropriate for them. That must first be further investigated. “
“The use of anticoagulant drugs in non-hospitalized patients has indeed not yet been studied,” said Geert Meyfroidt. “I think it is an interesting track. You could research it perfectly, for example in residential care centers. I have already suggested that a few times to clinical researchers in primary care, but as far as I know there are no studies in progress.”
So there is a lot that we do not yet know for sure, scientists still have a lot of work ahead of them. The Jessa Hospital research is an extra step in the right direction.
“It shows that high doses of anticoagulant drugs can significantly reduce mortality in patients who end up in intensive care,” says Stessel. “For them, these drugs can significantly reduce the risk of death. That in itself is very encouraging.”
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