Common blood thinners cut serious events by 69% in intermediate-risk atrial fibrillation

The randomized SINGLE-AF trial, presented at ESC Congress 2026 and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, compared direct oral anticoagulants with no anticoagulant therapy in atrial fibrillation patients at intermediate stroke risk. Treatment was linked to 69% fewer serious clinical events, driven mainly by fewer ischemic strokes, with no increase in major bleeding, offering randomized evidence where guidelines had been less definitive.