Emerging Tools for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Ischaemic strokes resulting from atrial fibrillation (AF) constitute a devastating condition for patients and their carerswith huge burden on health care systems. Prophylactic treatment against systemic embolization and ischaemic strokes is the cornerstone for the management of AF. Effective stroke prevention requires the use of the vitamin K antagonists or non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs). This article summarises the latest developments in the field of stroke prevention in AF and aims to assist physicians with the choice of oral anticoagulant for patients with non-valvular AF with different risk factor profile. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).