Underuse of Oral Anticoagulants for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: Past, Present, and Future.

The article presents a report on the underuse of oral anticoagulants (OAC) for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Topics include AF being the most widespread cardiac arrhythmia of clinical significance worldwide, OAC therapy stated to substantially reduce the risk of stroke from AF and guidelines from cardiovascular societies stated to endorse the clinical use of risk scores related to OAC therapy to help select those patients who might benefit from anticoagulant therapy.