Comparing Apixaban vs Rivaroxaban for Atrial Fibrillation Patients: An Effectiveness and Safety Analysis

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm problem that is linked to a higher chance of stroke and systemic embolism. Anticoagulation treatment is necessary to keep people with AF from having a stroke, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become the best choice because they work well and are safe. Apixaban and rivaroxaban are two DOACs that are often recommended to treat AF, but there isn't a lot of information that compares how well they work and how safe they are. The point of this review was to look at the differences between apixaban and rivaroxaban in people with AF, focused on how well they prevented strokes and how safe they were, especially when it came to major bleeding events. A thorough search of the literature was done to find appropriate randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses that compared apixaban and rivaroxaban in people with AF. The review found that both medicines work better than traditional anticoagulation therapy at lowering the chance of stroke and systemic embolism. Nevertheless, apixaban showed better safety results, especially in lowering major bleeding events like cerebral hemorrhage. In addition, apixaban had a more stable anticoagulant effect and its plasma levels changed less than rivaroxaban. Keywords: Arterial fibrillation (AF), Anticoagulant, apixaban, rivaroxaban.