Context

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in clinical practice. The major complication of AF is thromboembolic stroke. Patients with AF have a fivefold higher risk of stroke and a twofold increase in mortality.1 As complete cure for AF is never certain, the aims of AF therapy are symptom relief and prevention of thromboembolic events. The latter can be managed by vitamin-K-antagonists (VKA), but is accompanied by several disadvantages including increased risk of bleeding and the need for monitoring with regular lab work. New oral anticoagulants (NOAC) regimens are simpler but are still …