Q. Ads for blood thinners say they are not approved for atrial fibrillation (AFib) caused by a valve condition. If I need a blood thinner to prevent a stroke, why would it matter what the source of AFib is?
A
It does matter. When the new blood thinners known as direct oral anticoagulants (apixaban [Eliquis®], dabigatran [Pradexa®), rivaroxaban [Xarelto®] and Edoxaban [Savaysa®]) were tested for their ability to prevent stroke in patients with valvular AFib, they did not perform as well as warfarin (Coumadin®). It may be that the mechanism of clot formation differs in the setting of valve abnormalities.
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