Abstract
The panelists devote a large part of this discussion to answering direct questions relating to the use of anticoagulants. Among the problems considered are the advisability of anticoagulant therapy in acute myocardial infarction and after the acute episode, steps to be taken when a major operation or dental extraction is necessary, variations in response among different patients and at different times in the same patient, the duration of use of anticoagulants, the range of prothrombin time or level that constitutes the “therapeutic range,” and instructions for the patient in the event of hemorrhage at a time when medical help is not immediately available.