This symposium is intended for physicians, pharmacists, nurses and allied healthcare professionals who provide care to patients on anticoagulants such as warfarin, low molecular weight heparin, aspirin and other anti-thrombotic agents.

Participants who attend this course should be able to:

• Become aware of recently published, potentially practice-changing information relevant to the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of venous thromboembolism(VTE);

• Understand current and future regulatory requirements for anticoagulation and prevention of VTE and the impact on patient care and hospitals;

• Become familiar with new and future anticoagulants and understand their impact on hospital and clinic practice;

• Become aware of the opportunities and challenges created by the 2007 CMS decision to cover self-testing for AFib and VTE patients;

• Understand the latest published evidence relevant to pharmacogenetic testing for patients initiating therapy with warfarin;

• Understand current controversial issues related to VTE Prophylaxis and recommended approaches to these issues;

• Understand perioperative bleeding and thrombotic risk factors for patients on chronic vitamin K antagonists (VKA) according to the 8th Edition ACCP Guidelines;

• Become familiar with new, evidence-based anticoagulation bridging strategies and recommendations for procedures and in the perioperative setting;

• Understand bleeding and VTE risks, contraindications, and current guidelines and recommendations for VTE prophylaxis in the cancer patient;

• Become familiar with the rationale and risks for combining antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs and the current debate of duration of antiplatelet drugs following coronary stent placement;

• Understand rationale of why warfarin will remain a common anticoagulant for years to come;

• Become familiar with the concept and US hospital rates of "appropriate" VTE prophylaxis and learn various methods to improve "appropriate" prophylaxis rates in hospitals.