Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure

Whether patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) should be anticoagulated is one of the oldest unresolved questions in cardiovascular therapeutics. Some authorities do not recommend anticoagulation for CHF patients in sinus rhythm, others recommend anticoagulation in patients with primary cardiomyopathy, and still others consider it more appropriate in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This absence of consensus reflects the lack of evidence in this area and different outlooks on the objectives of such therapy (e.g., prevention of arterial emboli or reduction in vascular events).