Heartrhythmjournal: 7/8/13 Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of total and fatal ischemic stroke. Stroke risk after AF ablation appears to be favorably affected; however, it is largely unknown whether the benefit extends to all stroke CHADS2 risk profiles of AF patients. Read More
Nature: 6/5/13 Atrial fibrillation (AF) is estimated to affect 2.5 million people in the United States, and results in a fivefold increase in the risk of ischemic stroke.1,2 The associated costs exceed$7 billion annually.3 Antithrombotic agents have proven benefits in preventing stroke in AF patients. Until recently, vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin were the only form […]
JACC: 2013 Objectives This study evaluated whether subclinical episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) were associated with an increased risk of silent cerebral infarct (SCI) and stroke in diabetic patients younger than 60 years who did not have other clinical evidence of AF and cerebrovascular disease at baseline. Background In type 2 diabetic patients, one-fourth of strokes are […]
JACC: 8/6/13 Primary Goal in the Therapy of Atrial Fibrillation∗ Treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) involves 3 major strategies: prevention of stroke, maintenance of sinus rhythm, and rate control 1. Stroke is the most dreaded complication of AF, and its prevention is key. Anticoagulation with warfarin and the newer agents dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban is highly effective […]
Neurology: July 31, 2013 Objective: We determined whether patient characteristics (age, sex, comorbidities), stroke severity, and quality of care explained a proportion of the association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and increased disability and mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: The study included a prospective cohort of consecutive patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke included in […]
Ajconline: July 08, 2013 Estimates and projections of diagnosed incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the United States have been highly inconsistent across published studies. Although it is generally acknowledged that AF incidence and prevalence are increasing due to growing numbers of older people in the U.S. population, estimates of the rate of expected […]
The American College of Cardiology (ACC): 7/23/13 Last year the ACC launched the Anticoagulation Initiative, a comprehensive quality effort to help facilitate a greater understanding of treatments and practice patterns in patients with atrial fibrillation, particularly given an increasing number of new anticoagulant treatment options entering the marketplace. The initiative is a multidisciplinary effort that addresses gaps […]
CIRCEP: July 22, 2013 Background—The ACE deletion allele, ACE D, is associated with increased cardiac ACE activity, cardiac fibrosis and adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease and has been linked with failure of anti-AF drug treatment. This study tested the hypothesis that the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism associates with atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation. […]
CIRCEP: July 21, 2013 Background—Low resting heart rate (HR) has been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in athletes. We aimed to study if low HR at rest or during exercise testing was a predictor of AF in initially healthy middle-aged men. Methods and Results—A total of 2014 healthy Norwegian men participated in a prospective cardiovascular survey […]
J Am Heart Assoc: July 18, 2013 Provider Specialty and Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Strategies in United States Community Practice: Findings From the ORBIT‐AF Registry ackground The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) continues to increase; however, there are limited data describing the division of care among practitioners in the community and whether care differs depending on provider […]
