Figure 3.

Current clinical scenario’s in AF patients where VKA’s would be still the first line agent for OAC. The upper right panel depicts a St. Jude’s bi-leaflet prosthetic valve. The lower right panel depicts the 2D transthoracic echocardiogram images in patients with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis. The lower left picture represents the triad of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome—recurrent abortions, arterial (red)/venous (blue) thrombosis, and a positive ELISA test for anti-cardiolipin/anti-B₂-microglobulin antibody. [VKA—Vitamin K antagonist; DOAC—direct-acting anticoagulant; ELISA—enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay].