Table 1.

Benefits and weaknesses of warfarin compared with DOACs

Advantages	Disadvantages
Wide range of indications Preferred in high-risk patients (especially mechanical valves) Long safety history Cheap, widely available antidote Easy monitoring of degree of anticoagulation No gastrointestinal upset (2% dabigatran/rivaroxaban) Inexpensive Single daily dose	Need for monitoring Highly variable dosing Increased requirement for bridging Food interactions Drug interactions Initially procoagulant Slow onset Long half-life Increased risk of intracranial bleed (50%)2 Possibly increased life-threatening bleed (25%)2