Rapid resolution of left ventricular thrombus with apixaban therapy

It is a common medical practice to anticoagulate an asymptomatic left ventricular mural thrombus following an ST-elevation myocardial infarction using a vitamin K antagonist. Novel oral anticoagulants have not been studied extensively in this context, and therefore, no recommendations have been made for their use. A 67-year-old male physician with no significant medical history presented to the cardiology clinic complaining of shortness of breath that had been gradually worsening over a 2-week period and was found to have an anterior wall myocardial infarction with apical left ventricular thrombus that was treated with apixaban. We present a case of rapid resolution of left ventricular thrombus with the use of apixaban for anticoagulation. Although there are no guideline recommendations for this use, there have been case series and case reports that have shown safety and efficacy. Apixaban can be used for rapid resolution of left ventricular thrombus treatment.