Distinguishing between Individual Direct Oral Anticoagulants on the Basis of their Specific Characteristics

Before dabigatran was introduced in 2011, vitamin K antagonist was for nearly 50 years the only oral anticoagulant available. Including dabigatran, there are now four non-vitamin K antagonist direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), which has greatly increased treatment options. However, the increased number of options has led to some confusion in the selection of appropriate anticoagulants in specific cases. In this paper, we outline the characteristics of each individual DOAC on the basis of recent reports.