Prescription frequency and predictors for the use of novel direct oral anticoagulants for secondary stroke prevention in the first year after their marketing in Europe--a multicentric evaluation.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are alternatives to the use of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) as oral anticoagulant therapies to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Aims: We assembled a representative secondary prevention cohort from four tertiary care stroke centers to identify factors that independently influence therapeutic decision making 1) not to anticoagulate with either VKA or DOAC and 2) to use DOAC if the patient appears suitable for oral anticoagulant therapy.

Methods: We identified all patients discharged with the diagnoses 'ischemic stroke' (ICD-10 code I63) or 'transient ischemic attack' (G45) in combination with 'atrial fibrillation' (I48) during 1 year.