DOA and Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) have been the pillars of
anticoagulant therapy for over half a century.
AVKs are mainly used for the prevention of stroke and
systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
The advent of Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOA) with four
new agents - direct factor Xa inhibitors (apixaban, edoxaban and rivaroxaban) and the direct thrombin inhibitor
(dabigatran) were approved for this indication.
Given the many limitations of VKA, such as food interference, drug interactions and concerns about bleeding
complications, the attractiveness of DOAs is well founded
and increasingly recognized.