Episode 270: 269. What is the Harm in Aspirin?

The trial was terminated after  1015 patients with atrial cardiopathy had been randomized to receive either apixaban or aspirin for a mean follow-up of 1.8 years, recurrent stroke rates were identical  (40 events per group; 4.4% annualized rate). There were 7 symptomatic intracranial hemorrhages in the aspirin group and none in the apixaban group, though other major hemorrhages occurred at similar rates Aspirin is not benign and has real risk-- BTW don't give anticoagulation if the patient does not have atrial fib. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2814933