EMJ Cardiology 12 [Supplement 1] . 2024

The effective use of anticoagulation for the prevention of stroke and other thromboembolic events has been limited by the risk and fear of bleeding. However, a new understanding of the coagulation cascade suggests that, by targeting factor XI, it may be possible to protect patients from pathological thrombosis without significantly affecting physiological haemostasis, thus greatly reducing the risk of bleeding.