Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Therapies for Stroke Prevention in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial Fibrillation Sunday, April 8th, 2012Onlinelibrary.wiley.com: March 27, 2012.
Thromboembolism is the crucial cause of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, have been proven to be effective for stroke prevention in AF. Nonetheless, the use of warfarin may be limited due to increased risk of bleeding, the potential interaction with multiple foods and drugs, and the need for routine coagulation monitoring. Over the last decade anticoagulants, such as dabigatran and rivaroxaban, have been developed and have shown superiority compared to warfarin for preventing stroke in patients with nonvalvular AF in large randomized trials. Read more