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Study Overview
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have had an ischemic stroke are at high risk for further clinical events. Taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) is important for preventing these events, but some patients may not take their medication as prescribed. This study looked at how well stroke survivors with AF adhered to their DOAC treatment.
Practical Solutions
- Using a small electronic device (Time4MedTM) to measure DOAC intake
- Defining specific time intervals for monitoring adherence
- Retrospective calculation of adherence to DOAC
- Adjusting for age and daily pill burden in the analysis
Key Findings
- Adherence to DOAC was high overall, but varied for different types of clinical events
- Low adherence (<76%) was associated with recurrent ischemic events
- High adherence (>96%) was associated with hemorrhagic complications
Value
Improving adherence to DOAC in AF patients could help prevent recurrent ischemic events. However, patients with high adherence should also be regularly assessed for bleeding risk.
For more information, visit ClinicalTrials.gov
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