Does warfarin initiation affect the risk of hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke in older hemodialysis patients with incident atrial fibrillation?
In older hemodialysis patients with incident atrial fibrillation, warfarin initiation is associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke without a significant reduction in ischemic stroke.
Although we confirmed association between warfarin use and hemorrhagic stroke in dialysis patients with AF, we found no association between warfarin use and ischemic stroke. Adequately powered randomized trials are required to conclusively determine the risks and benefits of the studied warfarin indication in hemodialysis patients.
Winkelmayer et al. (Fri,) studied this question.