Research progress of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common rapid arrhythmias in clinical practice and it can bring about thromboembolism, stroke and other serious complications, which can be the direct causes of disability and death of patients. Therefore, prevention of thrombosis is currently the main recognized measure internationally. Warfarin, as a traditional oral anticoagulant, has been recognized for its efficacy and safety. However, its narrow therapeutic window, frequent monitoring and other deficiencies of Warfarin have limited its clinical application and the popularity among both doctors and patients. Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), mainly including thrombin inhibitor (dabigatran etexilate) and blood coagulation factor X inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban) have been used as the preferred initial anticoagulant therapy for atrial fibrillation in recent years. In this article we provide a brief overview of the drug characteristics of NOACs and research progress of NOACs in the treatment of AF patients.