Effectiveness and Safety of Oral Anticoagulants in Cardiac Amyloidosis: Lights and Shadows

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy characterized by extracellular deposition of mis-folded proteins called amyloid. Cardiac complica-tions of CA are several: heart failure, aortic valve stenosis, thromboembolism, conduction disorders, atrial fibrilla-tion, and ventricular arrhythmias. Atrial dysfunction is common in CA patients. Several evidences suggest to anti-coagulated patients with CA in atrial fibrillation indepen-dently from CHA2DS2VaSC score. Considering the high thromboembolic risk in CA patients, anticoagulant ther-apy should be considered also in CA patients in sinus rhythm, when the atria are enlarged and dysfunctional, and the bleeding risk is low. Unfortunately indication to anticoagulation in patients with CA in sinus rhythm still remains a gray zone. Also drug-drug interactions should be considered in patients with CA. In this review, we will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral anticoagulants in CA patients, and we will propose a practical guide for management of anticoagulant therapy in CA patients. (Curr Probl Cardiol 2023;48:101188.)