Anticoagulants reduce stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients

The SINGLE-AF trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, indicates that direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) can reduce serious clinical events in patients with atrial fibrillation and an intermediate risk of stroke.

The study, conducted in South Korea with 1,803 participants, compared DOAC treatment against no anticoagulation over a 24-month period. The primary outcome—a combination of stroke, systemic embolism, major hemorrhage, or cardiovascular death—occurred in 0.5% of the treated group compared to 1.5% in the group without anticoagulation. This represents a relative risk reduction of approximately 69%.

Stroke frequency was also lower in the treated group, with three recorded cases compared to ten in the control group. Researchers noted that the incidence of major hemorrhage remained low and similar between both groups, and no cardiovascular deaths occurred during the follow-up period.