Abstract
Patients with critical illness often display variable hypo- and hypercoagulable sequalae requiring intense monitoring and anticoagulation pharmacotherapy to prevent or treat inappropriate clot formation. It is imperative to understand the various stages of the clotting cascade and where each pharmacotherapy agent exerts its therapeutic effect. Common coagulation tests are utilized to monitor the areas of the clotting cascade and the effects that anticoagulant pharmacotherapy exhibits. Many novel coagulation tests are also in development. The purpose of this narrative review is to evaluate commonly utilized coagulation tests that monitor anticoagulation while in the intensive care unit.
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