The interest on the primary and secondary prevention of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) has greatly increased after the introduction of the direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). Following the results of pivotal phase III randomized clinical trials (RCT), current international guidelines, such as those published by the European Society of Cardiology, recommend the use of DOACs over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for stroke prevention in patients with NVAF as they offer a favorable balance between efficacy and safety [1].
