Dabigatran is a useful alternative to warfarin to prevent blood clots and stroke in patients with either paroxysmal or permanent atrial fibrillation (AF), according to an update published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and HeartRhythm journal, which focused on emerging antithrombotic agents in AF.
More specifically, the update focused on the changing guidelines released by the 3 organizations in December of last year.
The new guidelines also included patients with atrial fibrillation with risk factors for stroke or blood clotting who do not have a prosthetic heart valve, significant heart valve disease, severe renal failure, or advanced liver disease.
The US Food and Drug administration (FDA) approved the use of dabigatran in AF in October 2010, stating the drug was at least as good as the current standard of care but required less laboratory monitoring than its predecessor, warfarin.
The RE-LY trial suggested that warfarin and dabigatran are comparable at preventing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation who have previously had a stroke or transient ischemic attack. And the risk of developing intracranial bleeding is lower with dabigatran.
