Authors' objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Oral anticoagulation is an important intervention to prevent thromboembolic complications of this condition. Drug options include vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), such as warfarin, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), such as apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban. Updated American (2019), Canadian (2020), and European (2020) guidelines all recommend the use of DOACs over VKAs to prevent stroke and other thromboembolic complications in patients with non-valvular AF. These recommendations are based on evidence of similar or improved efficacy of DOACs in preventing stroke, lowering the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, and reducing mortality, compared with VKAs. A focused literature search was conducted to retrieve new evidence (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, health technology assessments) published since the North American and European guidelines on AF were updated. No new evidence was retrieved. As such, evidence reviewed by the American, Canadian, and European guidelines is still current.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: https://cadth.ca/direct-oral-anticoagulants-atrial-fibrillation-update-0

Year Published: 2021

URL for published report: https://www.cadth.ca/sites/default/files/ou-tr/Tech%20Rev%20Update%20DOACs%20for%20AF%20Ver%202.1%20for%20Copy%20Editing-KT_MB_KT-nb.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Rapid Review

Country: Canada

Organisation Name: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health

Contact Address: 600-865 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8 Canada. Tel: +1 613 226 2553; Fax: +1 613 226 5392;

Contact Name: requests@cadth.ca

Contact Email: requests@cadth.ca

Copyright: <p>Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)</p>