scholarly journals Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (24) ◽  
pp. 2371-2388
Author(s):  
Aristeidis H Katsanos ◽  
Hooman Kamel ◽  
Jeff S. Healey ◽  
Robert G. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Stroke Prevention ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonist ◽  
Bleeding Complications ◽  
Secondary Stroke Prevention

Ischemic strokes related to atrial fibrillation are highly prevalent, presenting with severe neurologic syndromes and associated with high risk of recurrence. Although advances have been made in both primary and secondary stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation, the long-term risks for stroke recurrence and bleeding complications from antithrombotic treatment remain substantial. We summarize the major advances in stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation during the past 30 years and focus on novel diagnostic and treatment approaches currently under investigation in ongoing clinical trials. Non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants have been proven to be safer and equally effective compared with warfarin in stroke prevention for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are being investigated for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease, for the treatment of patients with recent embolic stroke of undetermined source and indirect evidence of cardiac embolism, and in the prevention of vascular-mediated cognitive decline in patients with atrial fibrillation. Multiple clinical trials are assessing the optimal timing of non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant initiation after a recent ischemic stroke and the benefit:harm ratio of non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation and history of previous intracranial bleeding. Ongoing trials are addressing the usefulness of left atrial appendage occlusion in both primary and secondary stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation, including those with high risk of bleeding. The additive value of prolonged cardiac monitoring for subclinical atrial fibrillation detection through smartphone applications or implantable cardiac devices, together with the optimal medical management of individuals with covert paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, is a topic of intensive research interest. Colchicine treatment and factor XIa inhibition constitute 2 novel pharmacologic approaches that might provide future treatment options in the secondary prevention of cardioembolic stroke attributable to atrial fibrillation.

scholarly journals Oral anticoagulation therapy use in patients with atrial fibrillation after the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants: findings from the French healthcare databases, 2011–2016

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e026645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géric Maura ◽  
Cécile Billionnet ◽  
Jérôme Drouin ◽  
Alain Weill ◽  
Anke Neumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Antiplatelet Therapy ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Stroke Prevention ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonist ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Patterns Of Use

ObjectivesTo describe (i) the trend in oral anticoagulant (OAC) use following the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and (ii) the current patterns of use of NOAC therapy in new users with AF in France.Design(i) Repeated cross-sectional study and (ii) population-based cohort study.SettingFrench national healthcare databases (50 million beneficiaries).Participants(i) Patients with identified AF in 2011, 2013 and 2016 and (ii) patients with AF initiating OAC therapy in 2015–2016.Primary and secondary outcome measures(i) Trend in OAC therapy use in patients with AF and (ii) patterns of use of NOAC therapy in new users with AF.ResultsBetween 2011 and 2016, use of OAC therapy moderately increased (+16%), while use of antiplatelet therapy decreased (−22%) among all patients with identified AF. In 2016, among the 1.1 million AF patients, 66% used OAC therapy and were more likely to be treated by vitamin K antagonist (VKA) than NOAC therapy, including patients at higher risk of stroke (63.5%), while 33% used antiplatelet therapy. Among 192 851 new users of OAC therapy in 2015–2016 with identified AF, NOAC therapy (66.3%) was initiated more frequently than VKA therapy, including in patients at higher risk of stroke (57.8%). Reduced doses were prescribed in 40% of NOAC new users. Several situations of inappropriate use at NOAC initiation were identified, including concomitant use of drugs increasing the risk of bleeding (one in three new users) and potential NOAC underdosing.ConclusionsOAC therapy use in patients with AF remains suboptimal 4 years after the introduction of NOACs for stroke prevention in France and improvement in appropriate prescribing regarding NOAC initiation is needed. However, NOAC therapy is now the preferred drug class for initiation of OAC therapy in patients with AF, including in patients at higher risk of stroke.

scholarly journals Optimal Anticoagulation Strategy for Cardioversion in Atrial Fibrillation

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Bushoven ◽  
Sven Linzbach ◽  
Mate Vamos ◽  
Stefan H Hohnloser ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Stroke Prevention ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Direct Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Prospective Trial ◽  
Bleeding Complications ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Pharmacological Cardioversion

For many patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation, cardioversion is performed to restore sinus rhythm and relieve symptoms. Cardioversion carries a distinct risk for thromboembolism which has been described to be in the order of magnitude of 1 to 3 %. For almost five decades, vitamin K antagonist therapy has been the mainstay of therapy to prevent thromboembolism around the time of cardioversion although not a single prospective trial has formally established its efficacy and safety. Currently, three new direct oral anticoagulants are approved for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. For all three, there are data regarding its usefulness during the time of electrical or pharmacological cardioversion. Due to the ease of handling, their efficacy regarding stroke prevention, and their safety with respect to bleeding complications, the new direct oral anticoagulants are endorsed as the preferred therapy over vitamin K antagonists for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation including the clinical setting of elective cardioversion.

HEMATURIA AND OTHER KINDS OF BLEEDINGS ON NON-VITAMIN K ANTAGONIST ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: AN UPDATED OVERVIEW ON OCCURRENCE, PATHOMECHANISMS AND MANAGEMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2528-2534
Author(s):  
Dagmara Wojtowicz ◽  
Anna Tomaszuk-Kazberuk ◽  
Jolanta Małyszko ◽  
Marek Koziński
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Anticoagulant Activity ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonist ◽  
Bleeding Complications ◽  
Reversal Agents ◽  
Limited Availability ◽  
Increased Risk

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are currently recommended for oral anticoagulation in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. In the setting, NOACs effectively prevent from stroke and systemic embolic events. In spite of the favorable safety profile of NOACs when compared with vitamin K antagonists, the use of any kind of anticoagulation is associated with an increased risk of bleeding. However, there is still a lack of direct comparisons of effectiveness and safety among NOACs. The results of indirect comparisons and meta-analyses suggest that the risk of various types of hemorrhagic complications differ among the particular NOACs. Management of bleeding in patients under NOAC therapy can be challenging because of limited availability of antidotes and the lack of routine laboratory test monitoring the NOAC anticoagulant effect. In case of life-threatening or critical site bleeding, reversal of NOAC anticoagulant activity is essential together with immediate implementation of causative treatment. Moreover, some patients on chronic NOAC therapy may require urgent surgery or invasive procedures. Specific reversal agents for NOACs have been developed, i.e. more widely available idarucizumab for the factor IIa inhibitor (dabigatran) and andexanet alfa for the factor Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban) with limited availability. This review summarizes the occurrence and management of NOAC-related bleeding complications with a particular emphasis on hematuria.

Gaps in translation from trials to practice: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (05) ◽  
pp. 783-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darae Ko ◽  
Christina L. Cove ◽  
Elaine M. Hylek
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Stroke Prevention ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonist ◽  
Major Advance ◽  
Single Target ◽  
Anticoagulant Drugs

SummaryWorldwide there is a tremendous need for affordable anticoagulants that do not require monitoring. The advent of the non-warfarin oral anticoagulant drugs represents a major advance for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). The objectives of this review are to 1) identify gaps in our current knowledge regarding use of these single target anticoagulant drugs; 2) outline the potential implications of these gaps for clinical practice, and thereby, 3) highlight areas of research to further optimise their use for stroke prevention in AF.

Selection, management, and outcome of vitamin K antagonist-treated patients with atrial fibrillation not switched to novel oral anticoagulants

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (11) ◽  
pp. 1076-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Michalski ◽  
Luise Tittl ◽  
Sebastian Werth ◽  
Ulrike Hänsel ◽  
Sven Pannach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Major Bleeding ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Bleeding Risk ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonist ◽  
Bleeding Complications ◽  
Treatment Rate

SummaryAtrial fibrillation (AF) patients treated with well-controlled vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) may benefit less from non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) because they are supposed to be at low risk of thromboembolic and bleeding complications. However, little is known about the selection, management, and outcome of such “stable” VKA patients in current practice. We assessed characteristics, VKA persistence and 12 months' outcome of AF patients selected for VKA continuation. On March 1, 2013, the Dresden NOAC registry opened recruitment of patients continuing on VKA for sites that had been actively recruiting AF patients treated with NOACs in the prior 18 months. Patient characteristics were compared with those of NOAC patients from the same sites. Four hundred twenty-seven VKA patients had a significantly lower bleeding risk profile compared with 706 patients selected for NOAC treatment. For VKA, international normalised ratio time-in-therapeutic range before enrolment was 71% and increased to 75% during a mean follow-up of 15 months. Rates of stroke/transient ischaemic attack/systemic embolism were 1.3/100 patient-years (intention-to-treat) and 0.94/100 patient-years (as-treated). On-treatment rate of ISTH major bleeding was 4.15/100 patient-years (95% CI 2.60–6.29) with a case-fatality rate of 16.3% (all-cause mortality at day 90 after major bleeding). In conclusion, in daily care, AF patients selected for VKA therapy are healthier than those treated with NOAC, demonstrate a high quality of anticoagulant control and very low stroke rates. However, despite adequate patient selection and INR control, the risk of major VKA bleeding is unacceptably high and bleeding outcome is poor.

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