Abstract
* Dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa) has been approved to lower the risk of stroke and blood clots in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.
* In clinical trials, patients taking dabigatran had fewer ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes than patients taking warfarin.
* As with other anticoagulants, dabigatran may cause serious, even fatal, bleeding.