Oral anticoagulants or warfarin in stroke prevention

In this observational cohort study conducted in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, 26,883 patients treated with reduced-dose oral anticoagulants (dagibatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban) and 108,014 patients treated with warfarin were followed. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of reduced-dose oral anticoagulants in stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. Similar or lower incidences of stroke and embolism were observed in patients receiving reduced-dose oral anticoagulants, compared with warfarin. Intracranial hemorrhage rates were generally low, ranging from 0.16 to 1.85 per 100 person-years.