New Options in Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation

The presence of atrial fibrillation significantly increases the risk and burden of thromboembolic stroke. 1 Warfarin is the reference standard treatment for the primary prevention of embolic stroke during atrial fibrillation. 2 However, the long-term use of warfarin has its limitations. Although guidelines suggest a target international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.5 (range, 2.0 to 3.0) for this indication, 2 only about 60% of patients have an INR within the recommended range at a given time in usual clinical practice. This is the reason that is most often given for the search for other oral antithrombotic agents that could be simpler to manage . . .