Prescription patterns of oral anticoagulants for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: experience at a Japanese single institution

New oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are now clinically available. However, few studies have demonstrated which patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) actually receive NOACs in a clinical setting. We analyzed 182 NVAF patients who received oral anticoagulants. Clinical backgrounds and the risk of stroke, systemic embolism, and bleeding associated with oral anticoagulants were investigated. Seventy-three (40 %) patients were treated with NOACs and 109 (60 %) patients were treated with warfarin. A significantly lower mean number of bleeding risk factors was observed among the patients treated with NOACs than among those treated with warfarin ( P = 0.010). Of the bleeding risk factors, NOACs were significantly less frequently prescribed in patients with a bleeding history and elderly subjects (>65 years) than in those who received warfarin ( P