Abstract
AIM: To evaluate antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients in Italy with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) before and after direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were approved. METHODS: This analysis included patients with a discharge diagnosis of NVAF in 2010 and 2014, which constituted the pre- and post-DOACs populations, respectively. RESULTS: Approximately 90% of patients were eligible for oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy. Overall use of OACs increased from 38% in 2010 to 45% in 2014; use of antiplatelet therapy decreased from 36 to 25%. Approximately 14% of eligible patients remained untreated. CONCLUSION: Although an improvement in OAC prescription was observed post-DOACs launch, treatment patterns in Italy suggest that a proportion of patients with NVAF are still undertreated or do not receive appropriate therapy.