Adding the blood thinner Plavix to aspirin can reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. This irregular heart rhythm increases the risk of a blood clot landing in the brain and causing a stroke. A new study shows that the risk of stroke went from more than 3 percent per year for those on aspirin alone to just over 2 percent per year for those on the combination. The downside was an increased risk of serious bleeding episodes.
[New England Journal of Medicine, May 14, 2009]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/360/20/2066
