Atherothrombotic stroke in non-valvular atrial fibrillation

The review analyzes data on the detection rate of and the abilities to predict and prevent non-cardioembolic strokes in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. According to accumulated facts, vitamin K antagonists in non-valvular atrial fibrillation are noted to be inferior to antiplatelet drugs in efficiency in preventing non-cardioembolic (atherothrombotic in particular) strokes, and the widespread use of oral anticoagulants in combination with antiplatelet drugs does not generally reduce the incidence of poor outcomes, markedly increasing the risk of serious bleeding. Nevertheless, it is conceivable that this combination antithrombotic therapy may be useful for certain categories of patients at the highest risk for atherothrombotic stroke and at relatively low risk for hemorrhagic complications. Cohorts of patients, to whom such an approach should be reasonable considered to be applied, have not yet been identified.