Warfarin Use May Not Bring Long-Term Stability for Atrial Fibrillation

Contact: Amara Omeokwe Phone: [phone] Email:[e-mail]://www.dukehealth.orgEMBARGOED FOR RELEASE until 11 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016DURHAM, N.C. -- Warfarin prescribed to prevent strokes in atrial fibrillation may not adequately control blood clotting over the long-term, even when patients have been historically stable on the drug, according to a study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute.The findings, published Aug. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), are based on an 18-month study of 3,749 patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. The condition is associated with a higher risk of blood clots and stroke, which are avoidable with anticoagulants, a group of drugs that work to thin the blood and prevent clots.Warfarin, which has an anti-clotting mechanism that targets how the body uses vitamin K, has historically been the only available drug for stroke prevention. However, warfarin can interact negatively with many other drugs and food, and patients on warfarin require regular monitoring.While costlier than warfarin, non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs), which were first approved for use in the United States in 2010, mostly eliminate these drawbacks while often providing similar effectiveness with improved safety.“For these reasons, the majority of patients who are newly-diagnosed with atrial fibrillation are prescribed NOACs,” said Sean Pokorney, M.D., the study’s first author ...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - August 9, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news