Stroke Prevention in Very Elderly Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Revisited

Stroke prevention is the cornerstone in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Oral anticoagulation (OAC) has been the main strategy to reduce the risk of thromboembolism in most AF patients.1 However, its effective use is hampered by several challenges, including the attended bleeding risk, noncompliance, and cost.2 Elderly patients are further disadvantaged with additional factors that may limit the use of OAC, such as frailty, polypharmacy, and functional dependence.3 In addition, there are limited data to guide stroke prevention decisions in these patients; octogenarians are typically excluded from clinical trials, and observational data specific to their age group are sparse.
Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research