Abstract:

Non-vitamin-K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have become the standard of care in stroke prevention for individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF). This symposium provided insight into NOACs for primary and secondary stroke prevention based on data from randomized controlled trials, subgroup and post-hoc analyses, and real world studies. The symposium also explored the conundrum of treating patients on a NOAC who have experienced an acute stroke, and highlighted idarucizumab—an antidote specific to dabigatran—that has been incorporated into medical guidelines. NOACs are also being investigated for the secondary prevention of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Recent and ongoing trials in this area were discussed.

 

Acknowledgements: Manuscript preparation provided by Thistle Editorial LLC.

Keywords:

acute stroke, atrial fibrillation, NOAC, reversal agent, ESUS