Long-term, Open-label Follow-up Treatment of Patients With A-fib Who Have Been Previously Treated With BIBR 1048

Exclusion Criteria

• •Valvular heart disease conferring significantly increased risk of thromboembolic events (e.g. clinically significant mitral stenosis or prosthetic valves). planned cardioversion while patients are in the study.
• •contraindication to anticoagulant therapy (previous intracranial hemorrhage, gastro-intestinal (GI) hemorrhage within previous 3 months, previous severe hemorrhage with warfarin at therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR), regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hemorrhagic diathesis) major bleeding within the last 6 months (other than GI hemorrhage).
• •severe renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate \[GFR\] \<= 30 mL/min). uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure \[SBP\] \> 180 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure \[DBP\] \> 100 mmHg).
• •Women who are pregnant or of childbearing potential who refuse to use a medically acceptable form of contraception throughout the study (note: a negative pregnancy test must be obtained for any woman of childbearing potential prior to entry into the study).
• •Patients who have received an investigational drug other than BIBR 1048 within the last 30 days.
• •Patients considered unreliable by the investigator concerning the requirements for follow-up during the study and/or compliance with study drug administration. Another indication for anticoagulant treatment (eg, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus). Clinically significant anemia (note: patients with mild-moderate anemia should only be enrolled after the possibility of a GI bleeding source has been evaluated, the etiology of the anemia identified, and appropriate action taken). Patients suffering from thrombocytopenia (platelets \< 100,000/uL). Any other condition which, in the discretion of the investigator, would not allow safe participation in the study.
• •Continuing or planned concomitant treatment with antiplatelet agents other than acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).
• •Recent malignancy or radiation therapy (\<= 6 months).