Arch Intern Med
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Bleeding during warfarin and aspirin therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation: the AFASAK 2 study. Atrial Fibrillation Aspirin and Anticoagulation.
Treatment with warfarin sodium is effective for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation but many physicians hesitate to prescribe it to elderly patients presumably because of the associated risk for bleeding and the inconvenience of frequent blood tests for the patients. ⋯ Fixed mini-dose warfarin and aspirin alone or in combination were associated with both minor and major bleeding. The small number of major bleeding events in patients receiving adjusted-dose warfarin therapy as compared with those receiving less intensive antithrombotic treatments and the finding of no significant influence of age on the risk for bleeding indicate that even elderly patients with atrial fibrillation tolerate adjusted-dose warfarin therapy (INR, 2.0-3.0).