People who are diagnosed with heart failure and follow a treatment regimen that includes blood thinners such as aspirin or coumadin could be putting their health into more danger.

Researchers stated that just because heart failure patients stand a greater chance of experiencing a heart attack or stroke doesn't automatically make them appropriate candidates for antithrombotic therapy.

Study Comparing Blood-Thinning Therapies to no Antithrombotic Therapy

• Participants included 279 patients who were diagnosed with heart failure that required diuretic therapy

• Participants were divided into three groups, aspirin therapy, warfarin therapy and no antithrombotic therapy

Results of the Study

• Aspirin and warfarin didn't provide the patients with any valuable health benefits

• There didn't appear to be any substantial differences of incidences of death, nonfatal heart attacks or nonfatal stroke in the three groups of the study

• Patients in the aspirin group had increased chances of experiencing serious gastrointestinal problems

• Cases of minor bleeding complications were primarily seen among the aspirin and warfarin group

• Patients in the aspirin therapy group were twice as likely as the patients in the warfarin group to face hospitalization for cardiovascular complications, particularly worsening cases of heart failure during the first 12 months following the study

Based on the results from this study, experts said that treatment of heart failure involving a multitude of drugs that proved to be ineffective should be eliminated as a treatment option.

American Heart Journal July 2004;148(1):157-64

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