DIFFERENTIAL EFFECT OF ASPIRIN VERSUS WARFARIN ON CLINICAL STROKE TYPES IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL-FIBRILLATION

The Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation II study compared the eff icacy and safety of aspirin and warfarin in patients with atrial fibri llation. Three neurologists, blinded to patient therapy, categorized t he pathophysiology of ischemic strokes that occurred in the trial base d on predetermined clinical criteria. Upon analyzing the patients bein g treated with these two drugs, warfarin proved significantly more eff ective than aspirin in preventing cardioembolic strokes (p = 0.005) an d strokes of uncertain pathophysiology (p = 0.01). There was no signif icant difference in the efficacy for prevention of noncardioembolic st rokes.