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Anticoagulation in patients with atrial high-rate episodes

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The risk of stroke in patients with atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) depends on age, comorbidities and AHRE burden. Two randomized clinical trials on the use of oral anticoagulant therapy for stroke prevention in older patients with short and rare AHREs have reported conflicting findings on the efficacy of oral anticoagulation in this patient population, although both trials report a significantly increased risk of major bleeding with oral anticoagulation.

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Fig. 1: Randomized clinical trials on oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in patients with AHREs.

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Correspondence to Tatjana Potpara.

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Potpara, T., Blomstrom-Lundqvist, C. Anticoagulation in patients with atrial high-rate episodes. Nat Rev Cardiol 21, 5–6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-023-00963-2

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