This review examines the position of apixaban among other direct oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thrombosis in randomized clinical trials and real clinical practice. Since the advent of apixaban, many studies of real clinical practice (RCP) and meta-analyses have appeared. RCP studies have fully confirmed the efficacy and safety of apixaban. Now we have data that au pixaban is equally effective and safe in elderly and senile people and younger patients, as well as in patients with reduced creatinine clearance. The efficacy and safety of apixaban has been confirmed in patients with AF with the presence of diseases of several vascular basins, in patients with AF and angina, including acute coronary syndrome, treated by coronary artery stenting and conservatively. An important property of apixaban is safety, which can be traced in almost all studies, which made it possible to successfully apply it in people with a high risk of bleeding, namely in patients with active cancer and venous thrombosis. Thus, RCP studies in patients with AF, including the elderly and senile patients with chronic kidney disease, many concomitant diseases, as well as patients with VTEC, confirmed the results of randomized clinical trials of apixaban. The drug appears to be an effective and at the same time the safest anticoagulant. The safety image of Apixaban which has become noticeable in all RCTs (in patients with atrial fibrillation, VTEC, including patients with active cancer) was confirmed both in real clinical practice studies and meta-analyses, and allowed it to be successfully used in the category of patients which are at highest risk for bleeding.

Arterial involvement in atherosclerosis is systemic in nature and is not limited to a single vessel causing ischemic symptoms. Atherosclerotic plaques at various stages of development are simultaneously present in arteries of a patient with atherosclerosis, and many of them undergo cycles of rupture and repair without any clinical manifestations. The chronic use of antithrombotic drugs is one of the ways to prevent the development of clinically significant thrombosis after atherosclerotic plaque destabilization. For this purpose antiplatelet agents, are used in patients with diseases caused by atherosclerosis, who do not have indications for long-term use of high (therapeutic) doses of anticoagulants. At present, acetylsalicylic acid maintains a leading position of the main antithrombotic drug in monotherapy and a must component of composite antithrombotic therapy. Recent studies have limited its role only in certain clinical settings: (1) a prolonged (more than 1 month) use after coronary stenting in patients requiring a long-term use of high (therapeutic) doses of oral anticoagulants; (2) a long-term use after coronary stenting in some patients receiving acetylsalicylic acid combined with ticagrelor; (3) use as first-line drug monotherapy in patients with symptomatic atherosclerosis of arteries of the lower extremities; (4) a long-term use as first-line drug monotherapy after ischemic non-cardioembolic stroke. The use of acetylsalicylic acid requires adequate patient adherence to treatment and sufficient bioavailability of the active substance. When there are doubts on proper bioavailability, it is reasonable to use nonenteric-coated dosage forms of acetylsalicylic acid.

This review is devoted to the aspects of anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation in the light of the modern understanding of this type of arrhythmia as a polymorbid continuously developing syndrome. According to experts, the management strategy of this category of patients is based on an integrated assessment, including the risk of stroke, the presence of symptoms, assessment of structural heart disease and mandatory accounting of concomitant pathology. In this approach, the appointment of anticoagulant therapy as a prevention of stroke in a patient with atrial fibrillation is put in the first place. At the same time, experts emphasize the need for a dynamic reassessment of risks, as well as the use of a multidisciplinary team of specialists to make a complex decision. The review summarizes the basic concepts of the integrated approach, describes various variants of clinical scenarios, including aspects of anticoagulant maintenance of cardioversion and catheter ablation, multicomponent therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention. A separate chapter is devoted to modern algorithms of perioperative management of a patient receiving oral anticoagulants, which is based on the stratification of interventions according to the risk of perioperative bleeding and the characteristics of the anticoagulant prescribed to the patient. The place of dabigatran in the primary and secondary prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation is described, studies that served as the basis of the evidence base for the use of dabigatran in patients with atrial fibrillation are presented. The data of register observations, meta-analyses devoted to the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of dabigatran in certain categories of patients (elderly patients, patients with chronic heart failure, diabetes mellitus) are presented, which form the basis of decision-making in real clinical practice.

Introduction. Lengthening the period of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) withdrawal before intervention is not allowed. Chronic kidney disease (CKD), impaired liver function, extremely low or high body mass, chronic heart failure (CHF), and age > 90 years can increase blood DOAC levels. DOAC therapy does not require routine laboratory monitoring. However, there are coagulation tests that can be used to detect the presence of a drug in blood. Duration of DOAC discontinuation and the appropriateness of assessing residual anticoagulant concentrations before intervention with a high bleeding risk in a special category of patients is to be defined.
Aim. To measure residual concentrations of anticoagulants and their association with perioperative bleeding risk in patients with AF using DOACs in blood samples collected immediately before TAVI.
Materials and methods. The 94 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) included in the study were characterized by senile age, a high risk of thromboembolic complication (ТС), many comorbidities, and a high prevalence of senile asthenia. The apixaban and rivaroxaban concentrations were measured according to the value of anti-Xa activity and control plasmas with normal levels of coagulation factors (Diagnostica Stago, France).
Results. The median time of DOAC withdrawal before TAVI was 60 hours [47.5; 72]. However, the DOAC concentration exceeded 30 ng/ml in 1/5 patients (19.2%), and stage 3 or more CKD was more common in these patients. Our study showed the relationship between DOAC concentration and the duration of DOAC withdrawal period. However, the relationship between DOAC concentration and bleeding that occurred in the perioperative period could not be found. Patients with signs of CKD were older and had a lower BMI as compared to patients without CKD.
Conclusion. Our data showed the relationship between the DOAC concentration and the duration of DOAC withdrawal period. No relationship was found between DOAC concentrations and bleeding.

Introduction. The presence of diabetes mellitus in patients with acute infarction significantly worsens short- and long-term prognosis, but the features of the course of the infarction in this category of patients have not been fully studied.
Objective. To compare clinical, functional and structural myocardial characteristics of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with and without diabetes mellitus.
Materials and methods. The study included 91 patients with revascularized ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (41 patients with diabetes mellitus). All patients underwent cardiac MRI with contrast, including myocardial T1 mapping, tissue analysis of left ventricular myocardium with determination of infarct zone, heterogeneous zone, edema zone, pre- and post-contrast T1 values, extracellular volume values of healthy myocardium and infarct zone.
Results. The presence of diabetes in patients with AMI was associated with increased EDV LV: 153 ± 38 and 181 ± 58 ml (p = 0.007), increased ESV LV: 76 ml [54–93] and 87 ml [71–122] (p = 0.035). Infarct size was significantly larger in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes: 37 ± 15 g (95% CI: 33–41) and 47 ± 21 g (95% CI: 40–53), p = 0.017. Patients with acute infarction and diabetes mellitus had higher extracellular volume values in both healthy myocardium: 24% [22–27] and 28% [24–30], p = 0.002, and in the infarct zone: 48% [40–58] and 58% [50–61], p = 0.016.
Conclusions. In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with diabetes mellitus, the infarct size, the edema area, and the value of the extracellular volume fraction both in the infarct area and in the preserved myocardium were larger than in patients without diabetes, which may underlie the development of myocardial dysfunction and further progression of heart failure.

Introduction. Perioperative bleeding is a potentially life-threatening complication of surgical intervention. The incidence of perioperative bleeding during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) reaches 6%. An increased risk of perioperative bleeding is noted in patients requiring constant antiplatelet therapy, which includes patients with concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD).
Aim. The study of risk factors of bleeding, which require blood transfusion in candidates for TAVI with concomitant CAD.
Materials and methods. A retrospective study. The patients with concomitant CAD who underwent TAVI from 2016 to 2021 with hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis (n = 270) were included in this study. The incidence of early postoperative bleeding requiring blood transfusions was analyzed. Risk factors of bleeding development were evaluated.
Results. The average age of the patients was 77.7 ± 7.2 years, the number of male and female patients was comparable (45.9 and 54.1%).
The majority of patients were diagnosed with chronic heart failure (90.4%), more than half of the patients suffered from pulmonary hypertension (51.9%). The incidence of bleeding that required blood transfusion was 9.3%. The risk factors of the bleeding were dual antiplatelet therapy, baseline anemia (hemoglobin less than 120 g/l), history of stroke, chronic renal failure and critical aortic stenosis. The risk factors were included in the predictive model.
Conclusion. Bleeding requiring blood transfusion in patients with severe aortic stenosis and CAD after TAVR occurs in 9.3%. It can be partially predicted using the predictive model. The using of the predictive model may be useful in determining the predominant risk of thrombotic or bleeding events after surgery.

Currently, the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm does not pose significant difficulties, with modern cardiovascular surgery offering the possibility of both open and endovascular repair (EVAR) techniques. However, the personalized selection of the most optimal surgical intervention for each patient remains a relevant question. In some cases, one of the important factors influencing the choice of surgical method is the patient’s age and accompanying diseases. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is an age-related condition with a high risk of fatal outcomes. In our practice, we encountered a rare case of abdominal aortic aneurysm in an octogenarian woman with severe somatic status, poorly controlled arterial hypertension, and complex anatomical enlargement of the aneurysm. The question arose regarding the choice of optimal tactics and surgical treatment method. According to the MSCT, the diameter of the expansion was 67 mm, posing a 20% risk of rupture in the first year. In this clinical case, EVAR technique was unsuitable due to the anatomical features of the aneurysm, as the length of the neck in the infrarenal segment of the aorta was 2.5–3 cm, and the angle of inclination to the right exceeded 85°. Additionally, considering gender-specific factors, particularly female gender, indications for EVAR need to be carefully determined, as women have a higher likelihood of complications following the operation, as shown in several studies. After a detailed analysis of the re-evaluation results and assessment of surgical risk factors, we determined an individual surgical strategy and minimized risks, ultimately achieving a good outcome.

Introduction. High-resolution contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging reveals left atrial fibrosis, the severity of which may be related to the effectiveness of catheter ablation.
Aim. To study the structural changes of the left atrium myocardium according to magnetic resonance imaging with contrast in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation before balloon cryoablation and compare the results with the effectiveness of the intervention.
Materials and methods. The study included 89 patients with persistent form of atrial fibrillation. The patients were randomized into two groups: in the 1st, the pulmonary veins cryoablation was performed (n = 39 (53.4%)); in the 2nd, the pulmonary veins and posterior wall of the left atrium cryoablation was performed (n = 34 (46.6%)). All patients before cryoablation underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with delayed contrast using a high-resolution MR pulse sequence. The clinical efficacy of the intervention was evaluated after 12 months after the cryoablation.
Results. The severity of fibrotic myocardial lesion of the left atrium before balloon cryoablation was 0.7% [0; 3,07]. Overall efficiency of the intervention rate was 57.1%. Cryoablation was most effective (59.5%) in patients severity of fibrosis less than 20% and least effective (50%) severity of fibrosis more than 20%. Risk factors for atrial fibrillation recurrence after cryoablation were: early atrial fibrillation recurrence, female sex, the maximum atrial fibrillation duration more than 3 months, stroke/TIA.
Conclusion. The severity of left atrial fibrosis more than 20%, early recurrence of atrial fibrillation in the first 3 months after the cryoablation, female sex, the duration of the maximum atrial fibrillation episode more than 3 months, and a history of stroke/transient ischemic attack may be associated with recurrence of AF during the period observation 3–12 months.