title: Eligibility and preference of new oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation: comparison between patients with versus without stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have evaluated the benefit of new oral anticoagulants in reducing the risk of vascular events and bleeding complications in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, abundant and strict enrollment criteria may limit the validity and applicability of results of RCTs to clinical practice. We estimated the eligibility for participation in RCTs of an unselected group of patients with AF. In addition, we compared features favoring new oral anticoagulant use between patients with versus without stroke. Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy
  
  
  METHODS
  We applied enrollment criteria of 4 RCTs (RE-LY, ROCKET-AF, ARISTOTLE, and ENGAGE-AF-TIMI 48) to 695 patients with AF taking warfarin, prospectively and consecutively collected at a university medical center; 500 patients with and 195 patients without stroke. Time in therapeutic range and bleeding risk scheme (anticoagulation and risk factors in atrial fibrillation) were also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportions of patients fulfilling the trial enrollment criteria varied, ranging from 39% to 72.8%, depending on the differences in indications/contraindications among studies and presence/absence of stroke. The main reasons for ineligibility for RCTs were hemorrhagic risk (anticoagulation and risk factors in atrial fibrillation [ATRIA] score) (10.8%-40.5%) and planned cardioversion (5.1%-7.7%) for nonstroke patients, and a low creatinine clearance (5.6%-9.2%) and higher risk of bleeding (15.2%-20.8%) for patients with stroke. When compared with nonstroke patients, patients with stroke showed a lower time in therapeutic range (54.4±42.8% versus 65.4±34.9%, especially with severe disability) and a high hemorrhagic risk (ATRIA score) (3.06±2.30 versus 2.18±2.16) (P<0.05 in both cases).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients enrolled in RCTs are partly representative of patients with AF in clinical practice. When time in therapeutic range and bleeding tendency with warfarin use were considered, the use of new oral anticoagulants was preferred in patients with stroke than in nonstroke patients, but they were more likely to be excluded in RCTs.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Hyo
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Suk Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-ji
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sookyung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ryoo
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Gyeong-Moon
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chin-Sang
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: June Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (C.H.Y., Y.K.P., S.J.K., M.-j.L., S.R., G.-M.K., C.-S.C., K.H.L., O.Y.B.) and Department of Cardiology (J.S.K.), Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. neuroboy50@naver.com.
authors.forename: Oh Young
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Bang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069604:Dabigatran; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009025:Morpholines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011725:Pyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011728:Pyridones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design; D000069552:Rivaroxaban; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014859:Warfarin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015091:beta-Alanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D009025:Morpholines; D011720:Pyrazoles; D011725:Pyridines; D011728:Pyridones; D013844:Thiazoles; D013876:Thiophenes; D015091:beta-Alanine; C522181:apixaban; D014859:Warfarin; D000069552:Rivaroxaban; D000069604:Dabigatran; C552171:edoxaban
keywords: atrial fibrillation; randomized trial; stroke; warfarin