How Should We Be Using Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants?

Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia, and the most common cause of stroke in the elderly. Current US and European guidelines recommend the use of nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) over warfarin or aspirin for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who require anticoagulation for stroke prevention. The recommended parameters for prescribing represent a shift towards considering which patients with NVAF do not require anticoagulation, rather than focusing on those who do.

Modern Medicine – Issue 4 2019