The second question asked was whether the added potential morbidity or mortality associated with long-term anticoagulation therapy justified its use in the prophylactic treatment of neurologically asymptomatic patients with atrial fibrillation, even if it did reduce stroke risk. Gastrointestinal, urinary tract, cutaneous and joint hemorrhages were all potential serious complications, as was cerebral hemorrhage, including bleeding into areas of recent cerebral infarction. Interest had again focused on hemorrhagic complications of stroke in anticoagulated patients and among risk factors for hemorrhage were large, recent infarcts. No one suggested that anticoagulation, even if very successful in reducing stroke risk, would eliminate it altogether, and thus hemorrhagic infarction was an important potential problem, as was assessment of risk of primary intracerebral hemorrhage.