Fibrin Clot Permeability as a Predictor of Stroke and Bleeding in Anticoagulated Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [Clinical Sciences]

Background and Purpose—Formation of denser fiber networks has been reported in atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke. In this longitudinal cohort study, we evaluated whether fibrin clot density may predict thromboembolic and bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation on vitamin K antagonists.Methods—In 236 patients with atrial fibrillation receiving vitamin K antagonists treatment, we measured ex vivo plasma clot permeability (Ks), a measure of the pore size in fibrin networks.Results—During a median follow-up of 4.3 (interquartile range, 3.7–4.8) years, annual rates of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and major bleeds were 2.96% and 3.45%, respectively. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, patients with lower Ks (
Source: Stroke - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Atrial Fibrillation, Ischemic Stroke, Thrombosis Original Contributions Source Type: research