Does apixaban reduce stroke or systemic embolism in patients with subclinical atrial fibrillation?
In patients with subclinical atrial fibrillation, apixaban reduces the risk of stroke or systemic embolism compared to aspirin, but increases the risk of major bleeding.
Among patients with subclinical atrial fibrillation, apixaban resulted in a lower risk of stroke or systemic embolism than aspirin but a higher risk of major bleeding. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others; ARTESIA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01938248.).
The ARTESiA trial, published in NEJM, found that apixaban was superior to aspirin for preventing stroke in patients with subclinical atrial fibrillation, albeit with a higher risk of major bleeding. These findings are critical for guiding anticoagulation decisions in this growing patient population.
Healey et al. (2023) studied this question.