Cardiology Commons^™

Novel Oral Anticoagulants For Stroke Prevention In, Vadim Levin

Vadim Levin

Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important cause of ischemic stroke and is the underlying cause of . 20% of all strokes, with increasing age being a risk factor. Until recently, warfarin was the only available oral anticoagulant used to decrease this risk in patients with AF. However, there are several disadvantages of warfarin use, such as the requirement for monitoring the international normalized ratio, its wide range of drug–food interactions, and its narrow therapeutic index. Thus, there has been a strong impetus for the development of newer oral anticoagulants with predictable pharmacokinetics that obviate the need for monitoring the …