Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 28, 2012
Factor Xa inhibitors vs warfarin for preventing stroke and thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation
Karsten M H Bruins Slot1, Eivind Berge1
1Department of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Clinical Question:
Is treatment with factor Xa inhibitors associated with better efficacy and safety compared with the vitamin K antagonist warfarin for preventing strokes or other systemic embolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation?
Bottom Line:
Compared with warfarin, factor Xa inhibitors are associated with a lower risk of stroke and other systemic embolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation. Factor Xa inhibitors were associated with lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage and mortality compared with warfarin. Factor Xa inhibitors were associated with a reduction in major bleeding events, but there was heterogeneity between the included studies, and the reduction was not statistically significant in a prespecified sensitivity analysis.
Related Concept Videos
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
Clot Retraction and Fibrinolysis

