1. Introduction
thrombosis, post-MHVR, warfarin-associated, heart valve replacement
THROMBOSIS, ADVERSE EVENTS
Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), has been used to prevent thrombosis for decades. Currently, VKAs are still the only anticoagulants provided to patients who have undergone mechanical heart valve replacement (MHVR) [Previous studies concluded that anticoagulation clinics, online management, and self-management could significantly improve the effects of warfarin therapy in Western countries [Social apps have changed and continue to change the world by making communication easier and more accessible than ever before. People can use social apps to contact each other at any time and in any location via pictures, words, voice recordings, video, etc. WeChat (Tencent, Shenzhen, China) has nearly 1.1 billion active users and is the most popular and most frequently used social media app in China [Therefore, we set up an approved WeChat miniprogramme (Warfarin Helper) and conducted the SMART (Social Media to improve Warfarin Therapy) trial to assess whether health care with a social app could be used to improve warfarin control and reduce warfarin-associated adverse events among post-MHVR Chinese patients.