28th May 2025

A 66-year-old woman is reviewed in the Acute Medical Unit with sudden onset breathlessness, chest pain and haemoptysis.

A 66-year-old woman is reviewed in the Acute Medical Unit with sudden onset breathlessness, chest pain and haemoptysis. She is overweight and has recently returned from a holiday in Australia where she complained of a swollen and painful calf. An ECG shows sinus tachycardia and a right heart strain pattern. A CTPA showed a right pulmonary artery filling defect consistent with acute PE.

A decision is made to start her on Rivaroxaban.

What is the mode of action of rivaroxaban?