Objective To investigate the clinical application of dabigatran etexilate in elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Methods Clinical materials of elderly non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients with dabigatran etexilate in the Department of Cardiology of the Subei People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from January 2021 to June 2022 were collected, and according to the relevant guidelines, clinical application, laboratory indicators and clinical outcomes were statistically analyzed.

Results Among 150 patients, 14 cases had no indications for medication and 12 cases had contraindication; 93 cases had insufficient dosage, 9 cases had excessive dosage, 13 cases had unreasonable frequency of administration, and 20 cases had unreasonable conversion with other anticoagulant drugs. Laboratory indicators indicated a significant increase trend in activated partial prothrombin time (APTT) after 1 month, 3 and 6 months of medication (P < 0.05). Clinical outcome showed that the incidence of ischemic stroke events was 3.33%(4/120), the incidence of massive bleeding was 1.67% (2/120), and the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage events was 0.83% (1/120).

Conclusion It is common that clinical dosage of dabigatran etexilate in our hospital is insufficient. Pharmacists should pay attention to the standardized application of dabigatran etexilate in elderly patients.