One of the major worrisome factors concerning most patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest is the blood accumulation. This can be very serious situation as in many cases it leads to stroke, brain hemorrhage and even death. Now a new study spanning over a decade has given some insights into this, stating that Aspirin which is used to treat mild to moderate pain and to reduce fever or inflammation works in the same way as the blood thinner warfarin, or Coumadin. These blood thinners are taken by the patients to prevent stroke after a heart failure.

The findings of the landmark clinical trial that lasted over 10 years, has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study observed over 2,300 patients in 11 different countries. According to the study, those patients who took warfare had a 7.47% chance per year of risk of death, stroke, and cerebral hemorrhage. The same risk for patients who took aspirin was 7.93%, which the researchers thought was not statistically significant. There was another aspect that the researchers highlighted with respect to the thinning of blood.

The patients who took blood thinner had nearly 50% less risk of having a stroke as compared to people who took aspirin. However, warfain patients had the double the risk of suffering from major bleeding. If these two factors are taken into account then both have their pros and cons which is why they cancel out each other. The bottom line that the researchers agreed on is that both warfain and aspirin work in the same way and has equal benefits in dealing with heart failure.

Lead investigator Shunichi Homma of Columbia University Medical Center acknowledged and stated that since the overall risks and benefits are similar for aspirin and warfarin, the patients and their doctor can opt between the two depending on their won preference.