By Kelly Young
Non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) — including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban — are now favored over warfarin to reduce stroke risk in appropriate patients with atrial fibrillation, according to updated guidelines from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Rhythm Society. The guidelines appear in Circulation.
Eligible patients include those with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 or more in men and 3 or more in women. For men with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 and women with a score of 2, oral anticoagulants may now be considered to lower stroke risk.
Warfarin is still the recommended choice for those with moderate-to-severe mitral stenosis or a mechanical heart valve.
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