Skin Necrosis: Anti Coagulants Friend or Foe

The cellular activities essential for wound healing proceed most efficiently when there is a fully functioning clotting system in place, but many chronic wound patients are taking anticoagulant medications to prevent clot formation for a range of thromboembolic disease states. It stands to reason that interference in thrombin-mediated wound healing activities may stall wound progression and delay wound healing. Patients sustaining even a low impact trauma while on anticoagulant therapy can develop extensive soft-tissue injuries that can quickly turn into non-healing wounds. This session will debate if the benefits of anticoagulant medications outweigh the risks and how to carefully evaluate this patient population.