Don't Delay Restarting Anticoagulation in Atrial Fib Patients After GI Bleeding
February 2016
We're getting questions about how to manage anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients after a GI bleed.
Up to 15% of patients on an anticoagulant (warfarin, Pradaxa, etc) will have a GI bleed...and > 25% of them won't restart the anticoagulant.
But atrial fib patients are four times more likely to die from a stroke than from a GI bleed. And mounting evidence suggests that restarting anticoagulation is usually worth the extra bleeding risk.
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