Can blood thinners stop strokes in Stress-Triggered AF? large trial aims to find out

NCT ID NCT03968393

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: Population Health Research Institute Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether blood thinners (NOACs) can prevent stroke in people who develop atrial fibrillation only during stressful events like surgery or serious illness. About 2,270 participants will be randomly assigned to take a blood thinner or not, and researchers will track strokes, blood clots, and bleeding over time. The goal is to see if treating this temporary form of AF reduces long-term stroke risk.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Blood thinners (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, or rivaroxaban)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could show that blood thinners reduce stroke risk in people whose atrial fibrillation only happens during stressful events like surgery or illness.
What could go wrong: This is a large phase 4 trial, but the condition is not well-studied, so the benefits may be small or outweighed by bleeding risks from the blood thinners.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

atrial fibrillation paroxysmal atrial fibrillation stroke disorder prevention target

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION STROKE

Contacts and locations

Locations

ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda
RECRUITING

Milan, Milan, 20162, Italy
Aarhus University Hospital
RECRUITING

Aarhus, 8200, Denmark
Aga Khan University
RECRUITING

Karachi, Sindh, 74000, Pakistan
Amala Institute
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Thrissur, Kerala, 680555, India
Amala Institute of Medical Sciences
RECRUITING

Thrissur, Kerala, 680555, India
Amphia Ziekenhuis Breda
RECRUITING

Breda, 4818 CK, Netherlands
Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo
RECRUITING

Alessandria, 15121, Italy
B and B Hospital
RECRUITING

Lalitpur, 44700, Nepal
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
RECRUITING

Koshi, 56700, Nepal
Bankstown Hospital
RECRUITING

Bankstown, New South Wales, 2200, Australia
Box Hill Hospital
RECRUITING

Box Hill, Victoria, 3128, Australia
CHU de Quebec Universite Laval
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Québec, Quebec, G1R 2J6, Canada
Cambridge Cardiac Care Centre
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 6V6, Canada
Canberra Hospital
RECRUITING

Garran, Australian Capital Territory, 2605, Australia
Cape Breton University
RECRUITING

Sydney, Nova Scotia, B1M 1A2, Canada
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90048, United States
Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
RECRUITING

Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3E4, Canada
Centro Integral de Arritmias de Tucuman (CIAT)
RECRUITING

San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán Province, 4000, Argentina
Clinica Coronel Suarez
RECRUITING

Coronel Suárez, Buenos Aires, 7540, Argentina
Concord Repatriation General Hospital
RECRUITING

Concord, New South Wales, 2139, Australia
Cortelluci Vaughan Hospital
RECRUITING

Vaughan, Ontario, L6A 4Z3, Canada
Deventer Ziekenhuis
RECRUITING

Deventer, 7416, Netherlands
Dow Medical University
RECRUITING

Karachi, Pakistan
Dr.-Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Moncton, New Brunswick, E1C 2Z3, Canada
ETZ Tilburg
RECRUITING

Tilburg, 5022, Netherlands
East Kootenay Regional Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 3H9, Canada
Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
RECRUITING

Milan, 20122, Italy
Foothills Hospital
RECRUITING

Calgary, Alberta, T2N 2T9, Canada
Franciscus Gasthuis
RECRUITING

Rotterdam, 3045, Netherlands
Fraser Health Authority
RECRUITING

Surrey, British Columbia, V3V 1Z2, Canada
GNRC Medical
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

North Guwāhāti, Assam, 781031, India
Govt. T.D. Medical College
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Alappuzha, Kerala, 688005, India
Halifax Infirmary
RECRUITING

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3A6, Canada
Hamilton General Hospital
RECRUITING

Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 2X2, Canada
Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg
RECRUITING

Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3A 1R9, Canada
Hospital Gelderse Vallei
RECRUITING

Ede, 6716, Netherlands
Hospital Municipal Chivilcoy
RECRUITING

Chivilcoy, B6620, Argentina
Hospital Mutua de Terrassa
RECRUITING

Barcelona, 08221, Spain
Hospital Privado de Rosario
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Santa Fe, S2000GAP, Argentina
Hospital South West Jutland - University Hospital of Southern Denmark
RECRUITING

Esbjerg, 6700, Denmark
Hospital Universitario de Navarra
RECRUITING

Pamplona, 31008, Spain
Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
RECRUITING

Porto Alegre, 90035-903, Brazil
Hospital de Mar
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Barcelona, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
RECRUITING

Barcelona, 08025, Spain
Hôpital Fleurimont du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
RECRUITING

Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 5H3, Canada
Ikazia Hospital
RECRUITING

Rotterdam, 3083, Netherlands
Instituto Cardiovascular de Rosario
RECRUITING

Rosario, Santa Fe Province, S2000, Argentina
Instituto de Investigaciones Clinicas Rosario
RECRUITING

Rosario, Santa Fe Province, 2000, Argentina
Instituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP
RECRUITING

Cerqueira César, 05403-900, Brazil
JIPMER
RECRUITING

Puducherry, 605006, India
Jeroen Bosch Hospital
RECRUITING

's-Hertogenbosch, 5223, Netherlands
John Hunter Hospital
RECRUITING

Newcastle, New South Wales, 2305, Australia
Juravinski Hospital
RECRUITING

Hamilton, Ontario, L8V 1C3, Canada
Kantonsspital St. Gallen
RECRUITING

Sankt Gallen, 9000, Switzerland
Kantonsspital Winterthur
RECRUITING

Winterthur, 8400, Switzerland
Karolinska Institutet Danderyd Hospital
RECRUITING

Danderyd, 18257, Sweden
Kingston General Hospital
RECRUITING

Kingston, Ontario, K7L 2V7, Canada
Korea Univesrity Anam Hospital
RECRUITING

Seoul, 02841, South Korea
La Maddalena
RECRUITING

Palermo, 90146, Italy
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
RECRUITING

Liverpool, L14 3PE, United Kingdom
Liverpool Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Liverpool, New South Wales, 2170, Australia
London Health Sciences Centre - University Hospital
RECRUITING

London, Ontario, N6A 5A5, Canada
Marengo CIMS Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380060, India
Maroof International Hospital
RECRUITING

Islamabad, 04412, Pakistan
Martini Hospital
RECRUITING

Groningen, 9728, Netherlands
Mcgovern Medical School at University of Texas
RECRUITING

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Medicine Hat Regional Hospital
RECRUITING

Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 4H6, Canada
NU Hospitals
RECRUITING

Bangalore, Karnataka, 560010, India
Niagara Health System - St. Catharine's Site
RECRUITING

St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 0A9, Canada
Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital
RECRUITING

Biratnagar, 56700, Nepal
Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep
RECRUITING

Alkmaar, 1815, Netherlands
Northeast Health Wangaratta
RECRUITING

Wangaratta, Victoria, 3677, Australia
Odense University Hospital
RECRUITING

Odense, 5000, Denmark
Piacenza Ospedale
RECRUITING

Piacenza, 29121, Italy
Redcliffe Hospital
RECRUITING

Redcliffe, Queensland, 4020, Australia
Regina General Hospital
RECRUITING

Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 0W5, Canada
Rehman Medical Institute
RECRUITING

Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
Rijnstate Hospital
RECRUITING

Arnhem, 6815, Netherlands
Royal Adelaide Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia
Royal Perth Hospital
RECRUITING

Perth, Western Australia, 6000, Australia
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
RECRUITING

Camperdown, New South Wales, 2050, Australia
Royal University Hospital
RECRUITING

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0W8, Canada
Ruby Hall Clinic
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Pune, 411057, India
Sanatorio Cisma
RECRUITING

San Miguel de Tucumán, T4000, Argentina
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
RECRUITING

Seoul, 13620, South Korea
Seoul National University Hospital
RECRUITING

Seoul, 03080, South Korea
Shifa International Hospital
RECRUITING

Islamabad, Pakistan
Southend Hospital
RECRUITING

Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 0RY, United Kingdom
Southwest Finland Wellbeing County (VARHA)
RECRUITING

Turku, 20520, Finland
St. John's Medical College Hospital
RECRUITING

Bangalore, 560034, India
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
RECRUITING

Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 4A6, Canada
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
RECRUITING

Birtinya, Queensland, 4575, Australia
The Ottawa Hospital General Campus
RECRUITING

Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L6, Canada
Trivandrum Medical
RECRUITING

Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, India
Universitatsklinikum Leipzig
RECRUITING

Leipzig, 04103, Germany
University Hospital Basel
RECRUITING

Basel, Basel, 4031, Switzerland
University Hospital Ramon y Cajal
RECRUITING

Madrid, 28034, Spain
University of Alberta Hospital
RECRUITING

Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2B7, Canada
Uppsala University
RECRUITING

Uppsala, 751 85, Sweden
Vall d'Hebron Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Barcelona, Barcelona, 08014, Spain
Vancouver General Hospital
RECRUITING

Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 1N1, Canada
Westmead Hospital
RECRUITING

Westmead, New South Wales, 2145, Australia
Ziekenhuis Amstelland
RECRUITING

Amstelveen, 1186, Netherlands
ZiekenhuisGroepTwente (ZGT)
RECRUITING

Almelo, 7609, Netherlands

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