Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used in clinical practice to prevent venous thrombosis or thrombus formation in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). 1 The usage of rivaroxaban, a factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor, increased from 0.13% to 13.87% from 2011 to 2014 in the United States of America (USA). 2 Rivaroxaban has been shown to have efficacy similar to that of warfarin for prevention of stroke or systemic embolism in patients with NVAF. 3 In addition, fatal bleeding and intracranial haemorrhage occur less frequently in patients receiving rivaroxaban than in those receiving warfarin. 3 Although DOACs do not require routine coagulation monitoring, serious bleeding events have been occasionally reported in patients taking these drugs. 4 Rivaroxaban was among the top 10 drugs involved in emergency department visits for adverse drug events in the United States in 2013-2014. 5 In addition, interindividual variability of the pharmacokinetics of rivaroxaban in patients with NVAF has been shown to be large. 6-9