The use of dabigatran, a non-vitamin K antagonist (VKA) oral anticoagulant, is still increasing. Dabigatran has a good efficacy and safety ratio, as well as a more predictable anticoagulation effect compared with VKA. On the other hand, there is acenocoumarol/warfarin, a VKA which was evaluated in numerous clinical trials and is a drug of choice in a valve-related atrial fibrillation (AF).Based on the real clinical cases, we attempted to summarize current recommendations on how to manage periprocedural complications on oral anticoagulant treatment.In the first case we presented a patient on dabigatran, undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) of AF, who developed a right groin hematoma after the procedure and hence required several blood transfusions. In the second case we showed a patient on acenocoumarol, with high bleeding risk, who developed a pocket hematoma after an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation. We also reported a patient on dabigatran, who developed a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP) following PVI of AF.Periprocedural oral anticoagulation depends on the anticoagulant type and requires individual assessment of thepatient’s thromboembolic and bleeding risk factors. Our case reports showed that in case of a bleeding, dabigatranmay be quickly stopped and then restarted recently after reaching hemostasis, in contrast to acenocoumarol. They also confirm a possibility of successful pseudoaneurysm closure without dabigatran suspension.The use of dabigatran, a non-vitamin K antagonist (VKA) oral anticoagulant, is still increasing. Dabigatran has a good efficacy and safety ratio, as well as a more predictable anticoagulation effect compared with VKA. On the other hand, there is acenocoumarol/warfarin, a VKA which was evaluated in numerous clinical trials and is a drug of choice in a valve-related atrial fibrillation (AF).Based on the real clinical cases, we attempted to summarize current recommendations on how to manage periprocedural complications on oral anticoagulant treatment.In the first case we presented a patient on dabigatran, undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) of AF, who developed a right groin hematoma after the procedure and hence required several blood transfusions. In the second case we showed a patient on acenocoumarol, with high bleeding risk, who developed a pocket hematoma after an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation. We also reported a patient on dabigatran, who developed a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP) following PVI of AF.Periprocedural oral anticoagulation depends on the anticoagulant type and requires individual assessment of thepatient’s thromboembolic and bleeding risk factors. Our case reports showed that in case of a bleeding, dabigatranmay be quickly stopped and then restarted recently after reaching hemostasis, in contrast to acenocoumarol. They also confirm a possibility of successful pseudoaneurysm closure without dabigatran suspension
