Pharmacological therapies for stroke prevention on major gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation

Pharmacological therapies for stroke prevention on major gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation

Article Type: Reviews of effectiveness From: Clinical Governance: An International Journal, Volume 17, Issue 4

Coleman, C.I., Sobieraj, D.M., Winkler, S., Cutting, P., Mediouni, M., Alikhanov, S., Kluger, J.Effect of pharmacological therapies for stroke prevention on major gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation,International Journal of Clinical Practice2012Vol. 66 No. 1pp. 53-63

This well-conducted review found that adjusted-dose vitamin K antagonists increased the risk of major gastrointestinal bleeding compared with placebo or aspirin when used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients;combining vitamin K antagonists with aspirin also increased this risk. The authors’ findings are generally reliable but limited by the small number of trials and rarity of events.