Oral anticoagulant therapy in the chronic phase of myocardial infarction.

A causal role of coronary thrombosis in evolving myocardial infarction is now widely accepted. Patients recovering from an acute heart attack have a higher risk of dying, or suffering another infarction, than an age-matched non-coronary population. Thrombosis plays a major part in this additional mortality and morbidity. The use of oral anticoagulants in the secondary prophylaxis of acute myocardial infarction is controversial. This article reviews the role of oral anticoagulant drugs in the prevention of secondary events in patients who have survived a heart attack.