Dabigatran Following Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor Stroke

Rationale: To date, anticoagulant therapy in acute stroke has also been limited by excess hemorrhagic events. The oral anticoagulant dabigatran is a novel agent, which has been shown to be associated with much lower intracranial hemorrhage rates. It has been suggested that this agent may provide the superior benefits of anticoagulation in acute stroke, without the concomitant increase in hemorrhage risk associated with heparin/LMWH or warfarin. Study Design: DATAS II is a randomized, open label blinded endpoint trial. Participants (n=300) with TIA or ischemic stroke (NIHSS score \30% of the infarcted area on DWI, with substantial space- occupying effect, associated with clinical worsening (≥4 point increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score) within 5 weeks