LAUSR

Key Points Question What trends in patient characteristics, anticoagulation treatment, and prognosis were associated with patients with incident nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in the Netherlands in 2014 to 2018? Findings In this cohort study that included 301 301 patients with incident NVAF, the patient population showed similar baseline characteristics between 2014 and 2018 but increasingly received oral anticoagulation (OAC) with direct OAC being favored and had a parallel decreasing 1-year cumulative incidence of both ischemic stroke and major bleeding. Meaning These findings suggest that increasing use of OAC treatment, with direct OAC becoming the first-line anticoagulant, may partly explain the improved prognosis among patients with incident NVAF in the Netherlands.