The Net Clinical Benefit of Warfarin Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation

Guidelines recommend warfarin use in patients with atrial fibrillation solely on the basis of risk for ischemic stroke without antithrombotic therapy. These guidelines rely on ischemic stroke rates observed in older trials and do not explicitly account for increased risk for hemorrhage.

To quantify the net clinical benefit of warfarin therapy in a cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation.