3 Myths About New Oral Anticoagulants Debunked for Primary Care Physicians

The novel oral anticoagulants, or NOACs, have been shown in clinical trials to be safe and effective in preventing stroke and are also approved for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.As tends to occur when new pharmaceuticals are being explored in clincal practice and further studied for expanded indications, myths and misperceptions evolve that prevent appropriate use of a drug or support ill informed practice.This short slide show calls out for primary care practitioners 3 myths about the NOACs rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran and provides evidence to debunk them. References1. Gorst-Rasmussen A, Skjøth F, Larsen TB, et al. Dabigatran adherence in atrial fibrillation patients during the first year after diagnosis: a nationwide cohort study. J Thromb Haemost 2015;13:495-504.2. Shore S, Ho MP, Lambert-Kerzner A, et al. Site-level variation in and practices associated with dabigatran  adherence. JAMA 2015;313:1443-1450.3. Coleman et al. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2015 Feb 26. doi:10.1111/pace.12618. [Epub ahead of print].4. Stepanyan G, Badhwar N, Lee RJ, et al. Safety of new oral anticoagulants for patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation. J Interv Card Electrophysiol. 2014;40:33-38. Epub 2014 Mar 19. doi:10.1007/s10840-014-9888-9.