K. Krishnakumar

Anticoagulant therapy being the most conventional form of therapeutic intervention is the cornerstone for the treatment and prevention of various ailments including Atrial Fibrillation (AF), Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) and patients undertaking cardiac procedures1. Bleeding is the principal complication of anticoagulants even though used within its therapeutic limit. An innovative tool HAS-BLED score come up with the assessment of bleeding risk among patients under anticoagulant therapy supporting the physicians in a better clinical decision making2,3. The objective is to evaluate drug use and bleeding risk of anticoagulant drugs using HAS-BLED Score among geriatric patients. A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital among hundred patients for a period of six months. It was found that 61% were males and 49% were females. Most of the patients were from the age group of 65-70 (53%), 71-75 (31%) and least less than 75 (16%). The most commonly prescribed dosage form was parenteral (79%) and drug was heparin (52%). The bleeding risk of twenty patients taking warfarin was assessed using HAS- BLED Score, the risk categories shows greater than or equal to 3 (60%) high risk and score between 1-2 (40%) moderate risk. Drug use pattern of anticoagulants needs uninterrupted and repeated surveillance not only to discern therapeutic efficacy but also to scrutinize potential adverse drug reaction. From the HAS-BLED score distribution of patients taking warfarin conveys the need to monitor the parameters especially INR before and after initiation of anticoagulant therapy.

Cardiovascular diseases are a major public health problem, it includes disorders of the heart and blood vessel. Disease is diagnosed according to medical parameters, following diagnosis of the disease the treatment is started. The treatment includes medicines as well as lifestyle modifications. After the primary treatment, based on the patient’s health status further procedure started by using treating devices and methods. This article explains about treating devices and methods in patient’s emergency situations.

Anti-fungal agents like flucanazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole etc. are used to treat various superficial and systemic fungal infections. Oral and parenteral administration of the antifungal drugs are associated with various side effects including headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, gastric ulceration and bleeding. Hepatic and renal toxicity was also observed in patients on high and prolonged use of drugs. Film forming hydrogels are the dosage form for the topical delivery of drugs and it can bypass the side effects related to the conventional dosage forms and can provide effective topical release of the drugs. These film forming gels are novel approach for providing sustained release with increased residence time, therapeutic effect and patient comfort.