Conditions: Atrial Fibrillation
Keywords: rivaroxaban oral anticoagulant nonvalvular atrial fibrillation cardioversion stroke transient ischemic attack thromboembolism cardiovascular event
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 1504
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
A study for patients with abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) who need to undergo cardioversion (procedure to restore normal heart rhythm). The study will compare patients assigned randomly (like flipping a coin) to either Rivaroxaban or vitamin K antagonist (VKA). The study will measure common medical outcomes for this type of patient such as bleeding and stroke.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: A Direct Cardioversion Strategy can be performed only if sufficient anticoagulation is proven during the last 21 days prior to randomization and/or a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is planned before cardioversion. Rivaroxaban will be given for 1-5 days before planned direct cardioversion. The run-in of 1-5 days is needed due to potential pretreatment with VKA. Treatment with rivaroxaban will be continued for 42 days after the cardioversion. A Delayed Cardioversion Strategy will be chosen if sufficient anticoagulation is not proven during the last 21 days prior to randomization and no TEE is planned. Rivaroxaban will be given for at least 21 (+4) days before the planned cardioversion, to a maximum of 56 (+4) days prior to planned cardioversion. arm 2: A Direct Cardioversion Strategy can be performed only if sufficient anticoagulation is proven during the last 21 days prior to randomization and/or a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is planned before cardioversion. VKA will be given for 1-5 days before planned direct cardioversion. The run-in of 1-5 days is needed due to potential pretreatment with VKA. Treatment with VKA will be continued for 42 days after the cardioversion. A Delayed Cardioversion Strategy will be chosen if sufficient anticoagulation is not proven during the last 21 days prior to randomization and no TEE is planned. VKA will be given for at least 21 (+4) days before the planned cardioversion, to a maximum of 56 (+4) days prior to planned cardioversion.

Interventions: intervention 1: Rivaroxaban (Xarelto, BAY59-7939) intervention 2: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA)
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Rivaroxaban 20 mg orally once daily; subjects with moderate renal impairment (ie, CrCl of 30 to 49 mL/min, inclusive) will receive the adjusted dose of 15 mg orally once daily in the study intervention 2: VKA orally once daily titrated to a target international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.5 (range 2.0-3.0, inclusive); the VKA type (eg, warfarin, acenocoumarol, phenprocoumon, fluindione, etc) will be assigned by the investigator according to local treatment standards

Protocol document: