AHA 2012: Mixed treatments for AF patients should be monitored carefully, researchers say

DUKE: 11/5/12

The study was conducted by the DCRI’s Benjamin A. Steinberg, MD (pictured); Sunghee Kim, PhD; Kenneth W. Mahaffey, MD; Laine Thomas, PhD; Jonathan P. Piccini, MD, MHS; Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, and colleagues from other institutions. Steinberg served as first author of the study, and Peterson served as senior author.

The study was based on data from the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF), an observational study that evaluated treatment patterns and outcomes for AF patients living in the United States. Many AF patients also have coronary disease and undergo coronary revascularization and stenting. Of these patients, many receive various combinations of OACs and antiplatelet agents, such as aspirin. However, the benefit of these combinations in patients with AF is unclear, and some evidence shows that combining antiplatelet agents with OACs can increase patients’ risk of bleeding.

“Researchers have spent a lot of time demonstrating the benefits of this approach, so people may perceive it as relatively benign,” said Steinberg. “It’s only recently that our understanding of its risks has increased.” Read more