I am excited but not ready to switch patients on warfarin until we see how things work in the real world,” Turakhia says. Surgical advance in treating AF Catheter ablation is a good option for some patients with atrial fibrillation. The novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) — dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban — performed as well or better than warfarin in clinical trials. “Overall, the new anticoagulants are clearly superior to warfarin. Also in other multicenter world trials with new oral anticoagulants risk was higher: risk for warfarin in ROCKET AF was 0,7% per year, in ARISTOTLE 0,8% per year and in ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 0,85% per year. Medical Analysis Shows Newer Anticoagulants are Better for. A new real-world modeling analysis finds that all the new oral anticoagulant agents are significantly better than warfarin to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. For the week ending March 16, 2012 we discuss the following top cardiology news from heartwire: New anticoagulants better than warfarin in AF, says new real-world analysis Jack Ansell MDFrom the Department of Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY. Table 1. Rates of Stroke and Systemic Embolism of Dabigatran Compared With Different Levels of Warfarin Therapeutic Control as Determined by Time in Therapeutic INR Range. RE-LY Rates of Stroke and Systemic Embolism Edoxaban is associated with better efficacy and safety when compared with warfarin for stroke prevention in Korean individuals, an analysis of health claims data indicates. New users of the once-daily non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) had lower risks of ischemic stroke, all-cause GPs should be given tools to monitor on-treatment blood levels of new oral anticoagulants to optimise their safety, US researchers have urged, after new ‘real-world’ data raised concerns about increased risks of bleeding in elderly patients. The new data are published in two papers in the BMJ Let’s talk about the new anticoagulants. Two recent studies involving dabigatran (Pradaxa) have shed new light on an important topic for patients with atrial fibrillation: the risk of bleeding versus the risk of stroke.