Dabigatran etexilate是直接能夠抑制凝血酶 (thrombin) 而發揮抗凝血效果的口服抗凝血劑。2013年7月臺灣衛生署核准dabigatran etexilate使用於非辦膜性心房纖維顫動的病患，以預防發生中風和全身性栓塞。臨床試驗顯示dabigatran etexilate的療效和安全性與warfarin相當；因此dabigatran etexilate受到很多的關注，而本篇綜說主要的目的是為了評估目前與dabigatran etexilate相關的臨床證據，並討論dabigatran在未來的臨床發展和意義。
 

Dabigatran etexilate is an oral direct thrombin inhibitor approved it has been used in the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). It has been available in Taiwan since July 2011. Clinical trials on dabigatran etexilate have been promising and show the drug to have comparable efficacy and safety to warfarin. For these reasons, many clinicians are interested in dabigatran etexilate. The purpose of this article was to review the current evidence on dabigatran etexilate and discussed the clinical implications for clinicians and their patients.