OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the efficacy and safety of dabigatran (DE) with warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF) in preventing the recurrence of blood clot, lower risk of internal bleeding or hemorrhage in treated patients.

METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL were searched for studies pertaining to dabigatran, warfarin, and atrial fibrillation limited to human studies, observational studies, randomized clinical trials, controlled clinical trials, and clinical trials, which resulted in 37 articles. The articles were further screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.

RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS: Dabigatran may be superior to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. Both drugs were able to reduce bleeding complications and hemorrhagic stroke in AFib patients. However, further study is needed to determine safety and efficacy parameter between the two drugs in reducing gastrointestinal bleeding. An adequately powered direct comparison of randomized clinical trials may help determine additional benefits.