Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Stroke and bleeding with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant or warfarin treatment in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: a population-based cohort study.
Oral anticoagulants (OACs) effectively reduce the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF). Three non-vitamin K antagonist OACs (NOACs) are introduced in regular care based on promising results compared with warfarin in randomized trials. This study compares outcomes with NOAC vs. warfarin treatment in OAC naïve AF patients in routine care, including primary care, in a large region with decentralized anticoagulant treatment. ⋯ This population-based cohort study of routine care indicates similar or better effectiveness and safety with NOAC compared with warfarin treatment. NOACs were associated with fewer intracranial bleeds, but more gastrointestinal bleeds.