Clinical and applied thrombosis/hemostasis : official journal of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis
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Clin. Appl. Thromb. Hemost. · Nov 2013
Review Meta AnalysisThe efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulants in warfarin-suitable patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: systematic review and meta-analysis.
The novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) apixaban, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban have been recently indicated for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Due to a lack of direct head-to-head trials comparing the NOACs, the current systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) were conducted to assess their relative efficacy and safety. ⋯ Although there were few significant differences among the NOACS with regard to efficacy outcomes, apixaban and dabigatran 110 mg were associated with significantly lower hazards of major bleeding compared with dabigatran 150 mg and rivaroxaban. The NOACs offer a therapeutic advance over standard warfarin treatment in stoke prevention in patients with nonvalvular AF.