Macha K, et al. - Because severity of stroke and clinical course are influenced anticoagulation quality at the time of stroke onset in patients with ischemic stroke on therapy with vitamin K antagonists, researchers investigated clinical outcomes for patients using direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). They assessed registry data of all patients admitted with acute cerebral ischemia while taking oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation between November 2014 and October 2017; 460 patients were included. Findings revealed that low levels of DOAC in plasma were an independent predictor of occlusion of large vessels. According to results, the anticoagulation activity measured on admission via specific DOAC plasma levels was linked to the severity of the stroke and occlusion of large vessels.