Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

摘要

When it comes to the prevention of throm-bo-embolism, the entire picture is changing, thanks to the advent of new agents such as the direct thrombin inhibitors, notably dabigatran. 'They are going to have a huge impact and in future we will see less use of warfarin and antiplatelet agentp such as aspirin and clopidogrel', says Prof Michael Ezekowitz. He was in South Africa recently at the invitation of Boehringer Ingelheim.Dabigatran is the first of these novel agents to be approved and Prof Ezekowitz was one of the principal investigators in the RE-LY study, which evaluated its efficacy and safety relative to warfarin.