Atrial fibrillation risk ‘could be reduced with new-generation blood thinners’

Research carried out by the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine has highlighted a potential new generation of blood thinners that could benefit stroke patients who are at risk of atrial fibrillation.

Published in the journal Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine, the research identified a series of new blood thinners for use in these cases that could supersede the current best treatment options that are available today.

Warfarin remains the top choice among physicians when administering blood thinners in cases of stroke, but this treatment is a vitamin K antagonist and therefore requires a considerable restriction in diet for patients.

It also includes the need for close monitoring and dose adjustment to ensure the drug does not increase the risk of major bleeding.

Instead, the research from doctors Rochelle Sweis and Jose Biller has highlighted a range of new blood thinners – dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban – that carry out the same clot-reducing function as warfarin, but are less sensitive to vitamin K build-up in the body and therefore require less monitoring to administer.