Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who suffer an ischemic stroke while taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or vitamin K antagonists (VKA) have a dangerously high risk of recurrent stroke and death, a new study shows.
Researchers found a mortality rate of just over 12% within 3 months of an ischemic stroke on oral anticoagulation and close to 20% at 1 year, which they said demonstrates a need for additional stroke prevention strategies for these patients.
"Patients with AF who suffer an ischemic stroke while being treated with a DOAC or VKA are at very high risk of recurrent ischemic stroke but also of death," said researcher Alexander Benz, MD, an international fellow at the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. "These patients clearly have an unmet medical need, and we believe randomized controlled trials are needed to find strategies to improve outcomes in this particular high-risk subset of patients with AF."
The findings were presented May 6 at the European Stroke Organization Conference (ESOC) 2022 Annual Meeting in Lyon, France.
High Early Risk
"Although long-term oral anticoagulation reduces the risk of stroke in AF patients, some patients still experience an ischemic stroke and their prognosis is not well understood," Benz said.
