Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants and Warfarin, Stratified by Stroke Risk in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

The objective of the study was to examine how the comparative effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and warfarin differ across subgroups of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients defined by stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc score ≤3, 4-5, ≥6). Using claims data from a 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, we identified patients newly diagnosed with AF in 2013-2014 who initiated warfarin (n=12,354), apixaban (n=2,358), dabigatran (n=1,415) or rivaroxaban (n=5,139), and categorized them according to their CHA2DS2-VAS c score (≤3, 4-5, ≥6).

Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - March 28, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Inmaculada Hernandez, Yuting Zhang, Samir Saba Source Type: research