Emerging options to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

ging options to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation patients Review (2323) Total Article Views Authors: Silver B Published Date January 2012 Volume 2012:3 Pages 1 - 9 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/RRCC.S17427 Received: 24 October 2011 Accepted: 28 November 2011 Published: 05 January 2012 Brian Silver Stroke Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA Abstract: Atrial fibrillation is a common condition in the population and increases in prevalence with age. A new method for evaluating stroke risk with atrial fibrillation, called CHA2DS2Vasc, has been developed, as has a novel method for estimating the risk of bleeding, called HAS-BLED. Further, the last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of treatment options tested for this condition. These include novel oral anticoagulants such as apixaban, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban, and devices that occlude the left atrial appendage, such as WATCHMAN. This review will compare these new agents with the historical gold standard of warfarin.