The great discovery of DOACs and why physicians insist on misusing it: A paradox of the 21 century

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and has been one of the most studied disease in the world for the last 20  years. As it is a frequent cause of preventable strokes, substantial research efforts were directed toward gaining detailed information about effective prophylactic treatments. New evidence has been continuously published and resulted in the approval of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) i n this scenario, which are safer and easier to use than vitamin K antagonists (VKA).[1]Although the randomized clinical trials that substantiated the approval of DOACs were based in well-designed protocols with a clear description of the target population under stroke and thromboembolic risk and wel l stablished DOAC doses, patients in real world are often undertreated relative to treatment recommendations, in large part based on physicians' fear of bleeding events.
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research