Patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have an elevated risk of stroke, most of which are cardio-embolic in origin as a result of left ventricular (LV) thrombus formation. Anterior-wall location of a MI, in particular, can lead to the complications of LV aneurysm and/or thrombus, which some estimate occurs in approximately up to one-third of individuals within the first 2 weeks following an anterior MI. In the absence of anti coagulation, the risk of embolization in patients with a documented LV thrombus has been reported to be between 10 and 15 percent \[3\]. Although there are no randomized trials evaluating the efficacy of anticoagulation in patients with an LV thrombus after MI, observational studies provide substantial supporting evidence for the recommendation to anticoagulate patients with documented LV thrombus in order to reduce the risk of embolization. The observation that most events occur within the first three months from the MI forms the basis for the recommendation that anticoagulant therapy should be started early and continued for at least three to six months after myocardial infarction. Currently the practice guidelines recommend anticoagulation after MI only in certain settings such as the presence of LV thrombus or atrial fibrillation. To date there are no data on the use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACS) for stroke prevention in the setting of LV thrombus after acute MI. The proposed aim of this randomized open label non inferiority clinical trial is to assess whether apixaban is as effective as VKA for the treatment of LV thrombus after acute ST segment elevation MI. Population: Patients with evidence of LV thrombus as assessed by trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) 3 to 7 days post admission for acute ST-elevation MI Intervention: The patients will be randomly assigned to treatment with apixaban or s.c enoxaparin 1mg/Kg BID followed by dose-adjusted warfarin to achieve a target international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0 to 3.0 for 3 months. The study Outcomes are the presence of LV thrombus as assessed be echo, major bleeding, and stroke or systemic embolism and death from any cause.
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Presence and dimensions of Left ventricular thrombus (LV) as assessed by 2D echocardiography
Timeframe: 3 months