Rivaroxaban in Mechanical Valves: RMV Study

Anticoagulant treatment reduces the incidence of death and cardioembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation or prosthetic heart valve and the incidence of death and recurrences in patients with VTE. Warfarin and similar vitamin K antagonists (VKA) have been the standard therapy for patients with a metallic valve, or bioprosthesis with atrial fibrillation (AF). The Dabigatran versus Warfarin in Patients with Mechanical Heart Valves (RE-ALIGN) trial comparing dabigatran etexilate to warfarin was the only randomized controlled study in patient with mechanical valve prosthesis, but it was terminated prematurely because of an excess of thromboembolic and bleeding events among patients in the dabigatran group. To date, novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have shown to be not both safe and or effective for patients with mechanical valves.