Effective practical management of patients with atrial fibrillation when using new oral anticoagulants.

Effective practical management of patients with atrial fibrillation when using new oral anticoagulants. Ann Med. 2015 Jun;47(4):278-88 Authors: Cox JL Abstract Practical management of stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) requires physicians to find the optimal balance between maximizing prevention of ischaemic stroke and minimizing the risk of bleeding. Vitamin K antagonists have traditionally been used for stroke prevention in patients with AF; however, they have been associated with increased risk of bleeding, particularly intracranial haemorrhage. New oral anticoagulants (OACs) have shown similar efficacy to the vitamin K antagonist warfarin but with a reduced risk of bleeding, particularly life-threatening bleeding such as intracranial haemorrhage. Decisions about which new OAC therapy to use may be influenced by patient characteristics such as age, renal function, co-medication use, and bleeding risk. This review uses a case-based approach to highlight the practical management issues to be considered by the physician when selecting a new OAC for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular AF. PMID: 25850527 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Annals of Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Tags: Ann Med Source Type: research