Atrial Fibrillation
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
The Lancet: 12/1/12 The world faces an epidemic of atrial fibrillation and atrial fibrillation-related stroke. An individual’s risk of atrial fibrillation-related stroke can be estimated with the CHADS2 or CHA2DS2VASc scores, and reduced by two-thirds with effective anticoagulation. Vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, are underused and often poorly managed. The direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
American Heart Association: 11/6/12 Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia, and its prevalence in the population is increasing.1 Diastolic dysfunction shares many common risk factors with AF, including age, hypertension,2–5 obesity,6,7 and diabetes.8,9 Like AF, diastolic dysfunction increases with age,10 and patients given the diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction are more likely to have AF at the time.11 Diastolic dysfunction […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
Stopafib: 11/5/12 WASHINGTON, DC (November 5, 2012) — The Alliance for Aging Research (Alliance) and the AFib Optimal Treatment Task Force announced the results of an on-line survey of patients 65+ years old, exploring their experiences with the diagnosis and treatment of their atrial fibrillation (AFib). The objectives of the survey of more than 500 AFib […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
Wiley: 11/2/12 Although warfarin is superior to aspirin in reducing the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, it can increase major bleeds. Hence physicians stratify patients according to stroke risk to ensure a net benefit. In this review, the CHA2DS2-VASc stratification scheme used in the latest European Society of Cardiology (2010/12) guidelines will be […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Friday, November 9th, 2012
PRNewswire: LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Twelve-month data from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD (GARFIELD) show that poor management of stroke prevention therapy is widespread in everyday clinical practice, which may lead to elevated rates of mortality, stroke and bleeding among individuals with newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF). Data from the GARFIELD […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Friday, November 9th, 2012
JAMA: 11/7/12 The emergence of new anticoagulation medications to treat nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and reduce stroke risk has been mostly welcomed by the medical community. But identifying patients who will receive the most benefit from a particular drug remains a challenge, and wider use may be limited until bleeding risks and other concerns associated with the […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Friday, November 9th, 2012
FDA: 11/5/12 [11-02-2012] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has evaluated new information about the risk of serious bleeding associated with use of the anticoagulants (blood thinners) dabigatran (Pradaxa) and warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven, and generics). Following the approval of Pradaxa, FDA received a large number of post-marketing reports of bleeding among Pradaxa users. As a result, […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Friday, November 9th, 2012
AHA: 11/2/12 Background—Stroke is a debilitating condition with an increased risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). While data from clinical trials suggest that both rate and rhythm control are acceptable approaches with comparable rates of mortality in the short term, it is unclear whether stroke rates differ between patients who filled prescriptions for rhythm or […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Friday, November 9th, 2012
JACC: 11/1/12 Noninvasive Evaluation and Relationships With Aging and Systolic Dysfunction Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate diffuse myocardial fibrosis of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Background Diffuse myocardial fibrosis is a hallmark of cardiomyopathy. Unlike replacement fibrosis, it is not visualized on delayed-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, but […]
Atrial Fibrillation
Monday, November 5th, 2012
Medicalxpress: 10/28/12 Canadian scientists have determined that routine electrocardiogram (ECG) results for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF)—the most common form of irregular heart beat—can help doctors identify those at higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including death. This knowledge will help doctors improve the treatment and prognosis of atrial fibrillation. Through a retrospective analysis of thousands […]
