In a nutshell: Testing DOAC levels—when, why and what it means?
Abstract
Plasma direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) levels are not routinely required for the majority of patients; however, they may provide valuable information in urgent clinical situations, including perioperative management, life- or limb-threatening bleeding and patients requiring thrombolysis, when measurement mostly aims to determine whether a clinically significant concentration of DOAC is present in plasma. In non-urgent indications, including investigation of DOAC failure and in patients with extremes of body weight or drug-drug interactions, levels may assist clinical decision-making by determining whether the plasma DOAC level is within expected therapeutic ranges. 'In a nut-shell' review, we summarise the current recommendations and limitations regarding testing DOAC levels.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes
Antiplatelet Therapy and Cardiovascular Diseases
Venous Thromboembolism Diagnosis and Management
Publication details
- Journal / source
- British Journal of Haematology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 208
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 442–445
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026
- Language
- EN