Prevention of Thromboembolism in Atrial Fibrillation Patients

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Nadzeya Kuzniatsova ◽  
Gregory YH Lip ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Oral Anticoagulation ◽  
Absolute Risk ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
Thromboembolic Complications ◽  
Esc Guidelines ◽  
European Society Of Cardiology ◽  
Substantial Morbidity

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly due to thromboembolic complications. Antithrombotic therapy reduces the risk of stroke and other thromboembolic events, with the greatest benefit seen in individuals at the highest absolute risk of stroke. There is increasing recognition of the superiority of oral anticoagulation over antiplatelet therapy for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Nevertheless, oral anticoagulation is underused, especially in elderly people, which may in part be explained by uncertainty in the assessment of both risk of stroke and bleeding in an individual patient. The new European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation, which have recently been updated, recommend a risk-factor-based approach to thromboprophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation and provide practical tools for the assessment of individual risk. In this article we summarise strategies for prevention of thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation as recommended by the ESC guidelines. New oral anticoagulants are also discussed.

scholarly journals Contemporary Management of Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation Following the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manav Sohal ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
European Society ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Coronary Intervention ◽  
Thromboembolic Complications ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Percutaneous Coronary ◽  
Esc Guidelines ◽  
Contemporary Management ◽  
European Society Of Cardiology

The recent publication of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation provides a timely update at a time when the rapid uptake of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants has changed the landscape of clinical practice. Several key changes have been highlighted, including better identification of those deemed to be low risk for thromboembolic complications and a more standardised approach to patients with atrial fibrillation who require concomitant antiplatelet therapy following either percutaneous coronary intervention or an acute coronary syndrome. This article distils the key messages from the ESC guidelines and draws the reader’s attention to both gaps and advances in our knowledge.

scholarly journals Elderly patients with atrial fibrillation in routine clinical practice—peri-procedural management of edoxaban oral anticoagulation therapy is associated with a low risk of bleeding and thromboembolic complications: a subset analysis of the prospective, observational, multinational EMIT-AF study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Unverdorben ◽  
C. von Heymann ◽  
A. Santamaria ◽  
M. Saxena ◽  
T. Vanassche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Major Bleeding ◽  
Oral Anticoagulation ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Bleeding Complications ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
Thromboembolic Complications ◽  
Coronary Syndrome

Abstract Background Annually > 10% of patients with atrial fibrillation on oral anticoagulation undergo invasive procedures. Optimal peri-procedural management of anticoagulation, as judged by major bleeding and thromboembolic events, especially in the elderly, is still debated. Methods Procedures from 1442 patients were evaluated. Peri-procedural edoxaban management was guided only by the experience of the attending physician. The primary safety outcome was the rate of major bleeding. Secondary outcomes included the peri-procedural administration of edoxaban, other bleeding events, and the main efficacy outcome, a composite of acute coronary syndrome, non-hemorrhagic stroke, transient ischemic attack, systemic embolic events, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and mortality. Results Of the 1442 patients, 280 (19%) were < 65, 550 (38%) were 65–74, 514 (36%) 75–84, and 98 (7%) were 85 years old or older. With increasing age, comorbidities and risk scores were higher. Any bleeding complications were uncommon across all ages, ranging from 3.9% in patients < 65 to 4.1% in those 85 years or older; major bleeding rates in any age group were ≤ 0.6%. Interruption rates and duration increased with advancing age. Thromboembolic events were more common in the elderly, with all nine events occurring in those > 65, and seven in patients aged > 75 years. Conclusion Despite increased bleeding risk factors in the elderly, bleeding rates were small and similar across all age groups. However, there was a trend toward more thromboembolic complications with advancing age. Further efforts to identify the optimal management to reduce ischemic complications are needed. Trial registration: NCT# 02950168, October 31, 2016

scholarly journals Duração dos Episódios de Fibrilhação Auricular e Implicações no Risco Tromboembólico

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 766
Author(s):  
David Neves ◽  
Pedro Silva Cunha ◽  
Mário Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Holter Monitoring ◽  
Clinical Event ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation Burden ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Implanted Devices

<strong>Introduction:</strong> Atrial fibrillation is the most common chronic arrhythmia in clinical practice, which is associated with a well known increased thromboembolic risk. The use of oral anticoagulants in this context is well established. However, there are some gaps in information that warrant further studies, such as the duration of an atrial fibrillation event that is long enough to increase the risk of embolic phenomena. This may be of important clinical concern, particularly in patients with cardiac implanted devices, in which very short periods of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation are often detected.<br /><strong>Material and Methods:</strong> We performed a critical review on the association of brief atrial fibrillation episodes and thromboembolic events, based on available literature indexed on PubMed.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> After initial selection of abstracts and checking of references a final pool of 8 papers were analysed; seven describing studies with cardiac implanted devices and one with Holter monitoring. Four of the studies addressed this issue with a ‘daily burden’ approach rather than single episode duration. The risk increases with the magnitude of atrial fibrillation burden, with 5 minutes of atrial fibrillation in one day being the shortest time shown to independently predict thromboembolic events.<br /><strong>Discussion: </strong>The formation of an intracardiac thrombus, and respective embolic potential, is a dynamic process resulting from the interaction of anatomical and functional variables. The individual risk will depend on these factors. The association between embolic events and short atrial fibrillation episodes is evident, although the mechanism is not obvious, given the time discrepancy that is frequently observed between atrial fibrillation episode and clinical event.<br /><strong>Conclusions:</strong> An atrial fibrillation burden of 5 minutes in one day has been shown to be independently associated with a significantly increased risk, although the cause-effect mechanism is not clear. A standardized way to select patients with short-duration atrial fibrillation periods that will have a meaningful benefit of chronic oral anticoagulation is still to define. Therefore, decisions should be made in an individualized manner.

scholarly journals How Much Atrial Fibrillation is Enough to Warrant Oral Anticoagulation: Management of Subclinical Atrial Fibrillation?

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (SP1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Healey
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Oral Anticoagulation ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Absolute Risk ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Heart Rhythm ◽  
Anticoagulation Management ◽  
Specific Patient ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Patient Groups

Stroke due to atrial fibrillation (AF) is common, the cause of significant morbidity and mortality, but is highly preventable with the appropriate use of oral anticoagulants. Recent advances in implantable and wearable electrocardiographic (ECG) technologies now allow continuous monitoring of a patient’s heart rhythm for months or years at a time.  Cohort studies have shown that using such methods, it is very common to find asymptomatic, short-lasting episodes of subclinical AF. Subclinical AF is also associated with an increased risk of stroke; however, the risk is lower than with traditional, ECG-detected AF and the absolute risk appears to depend on the overall burden of AF.  There is currently great uncertainty as to what duration of AF should trigger the use of oral anticoagulation in specific patient groups. Large randomized trials are underway to help clarify this issue; however, in the meantime, researchers and guideline committees have proposed some guidance to assist clinicians.

scholarly journals ANTICOAGULATION BEFORE AND AFTER CARDIOVERSION OR ABLATION. CHALLENGES, PROBLEMS AND MISTAKES

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70
Author(s):  
Agnė Česnauskaitė ◽  
Andrius Montrimas ◽  
Diana Rinkūnienė ◽  
Aras Puodžiukynas
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Anticoagulant Therapy ◽  
European Society ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Esc Guidelines ◽  
European Society Of Cardiology

Background: Limited data exists addressing the daily use of anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) patients before and after electrical cardioversion (ECV) or catheter ablation procedures. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the appropriateness of anticoagulant therapy. Methods: We evaluated the prescribed dosage of anticoagulant therapy for 257 non-valvular AF and AFL patients scheduled for ECV or catheter ablation and the appropriateness of periprocedural anticoagulation according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) AF Guidelines. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software (v.26.0). Results: The majority of the patients (84%) used nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for pre-procedural anticoagulation. An intervention was not performed for 12.2% of warfarin users because of insufficient hypocoagulation, while anamnesis of patients’ missed doses with a possibility of inadequate hypocoagulation occurred only in 1.9% of patients on NOACs. The odds of having insufficient pre-procedural hypocoagulation were 7.4 times higher for warfarin users compared to the NOACs group (p=0.001, OR=7.4). An incorrect NOAC dose was assigned to 22 (8.6%) patients. Rivaroxaban was the most prescribed NOAC and this group of patients had the highest percentage of incorrect dosage according to the ESC guidelines. Conclusions: Mistakes of prescribing the dosage of anticoagulant therapy are common. The majority of the patients in the study were prescribed with NOACs before and after ECV or catheter ablation procedures. Warfarin users had higher odds of the intervention not being performed and not reaching sufficient hypocoagulation prior to the procedure compared to NOACs users.

scholarly journals Impact of oral anticoagulation therapy on postoperative atrial fibrillation outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Fragão-Marques ◽  
Francisco Teixeira ◽  
Jennifer Mancio ◽  
Nair Seixas ◽  
João Rocha-Neves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Oral Anticoagulation ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
Oral Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
All Cause Mortality

Abstract Background Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common complication after cardiac surgery. Recent studies had shown this phenomenon is no longer considered transitory and is associated with higher risk of thromboembolic events or death. The aim of this study was to systematically review and analyze previous studies comparing oral anticoagulation therapy with no anticoagulation, regarding these long-term outcomes. Methods PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Database were systematically searched to identify the studies comparing the risk of stroke, or thromboembolic events or mortality of POAF patients who received anticoagulation compared with those who were not anticoagulated. Incidence of stroke, thromboembolic events and all-cause mortality were evaluated up to 10 years after surgery. Time-to-event outcomes were collected through hazard ratio (HR) along with their variance and the early endpoints using frequencies or odds ratio (OR). Random effect models were used to compute statistical combined measures and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was evaluated through Q statistic-related measures of variance (Tau2, I2, Chi-squared test). Results Eight observational cohort studies were selected, including 15,335 patients (3492 on Oral Anticoagulants (OAC) vs 11,429 without OAC) that met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. Patients had a wide gender distribution (38.6–82.3%), each study with a mean age above 65 years (67.5–85). Vitamin K antagonists were commonly prescribed anticoagulants (74.3–100%). OAC was associated with a protective impact on all-cause mortality at a mean of 5.0 years of follow-up (HR is 0.85 [0.72–1.01]; p = 0.07; I2 = 48%). Thromboembolic events did not differ between the two treatment arms (HR 0.68 [0.40–1.15], p = 0.15). Conclusion Current literature suggests a possibly protective impact of OAC therapy for all-cause mortality in patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery. However, it does not appear to impact thromboembolism rate.

scholarly journals Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation Cardioversion: What Is Crucial to Take into Account

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3212
Author(s):  
Fabiana Lucà ◽  
Simona Giubilato ◽  
Stefania Angela Di Fusco ◽  
Laura Piccioni ◽  
Carmelo Massimiliano Rao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
Thromboembolic Risk ◽  
Pharmacological Cardioversion

The therapeutic dilemma between rhythm and rate control in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) is still unresolved and electrical or pharmacological cardioversion (CV) frequently represents a useful strategy. The most recent guidelines recommend anticoagulation according to individual thromboembolic risk. Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) have been routinely used to prevent thromboembolic events. Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) represent a significant advance due to their more predictable therapeutic effect and more favorable hemorrhagic risk profile. In hemodynamically unstable patients, an emergency electrical cardioversion (ECV) must be performed. In this situation, intravenous heparin or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) should be administered before CV. In patients with AF occurring within less than 48 h, synchronized direct ECV should be the elective procedure, as it restores sinus rhythm quicker and more successfully than pharmacological cardioversion (PCV) and is associated with shorter length of hospitalization. Patients with acute onset AF were traditionally considered at lower risk of thromboembolic events due to the shorter time for atrial thrombus formation. In patients with hemodynamic stability and AF for more than 48 h, an ECV should be planned after at least 3 weeks of anticoagulation therapy. Alternatively, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to rule out left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) should be performed, followed by ECV and anticoagulation for at least 4 weeks. Theoretically, the standardized use of TEE before CV allows a better stratification of thromboembolic risk, although data available to date are not univocal.

Safety of early anticoagulation in patients treated with urgent reperfusion for acute ischemic stroke related to non-valvular atrial fibrillation

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Giustozzi
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Major Bleeding ◽  
Oral Anticoagulation ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Early Recurrence ◽  
Optimal Timing ◽  
Hemorrhagic Event

Abstract Background The optimal timing for starting anticoagulation after an acute ischemic stroke related to non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a challenge, especially in patients treated with systemic thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy. Purpose We aimed to assess the rates of early recurrence and major bleeding in patients with acute ischemic stroke and AF treated with thrombolytic therapy and/or thrombectomy who received oral anticoagulants for secondary prevention. Methods We combined the dataset of the RAF and the RAF-NOACs studies, which were prospective observational studies carried out from January 2012 to March 2014 and April 2014 to June 2016, respectively. We included consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke and AF treated with either vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Primary outcome was the composite of stroke, transient ischemic attack, symptomatic systemic embolism, symptomatic cerebral bleeding, and major extracerebral bleeding within 90 days from the inclusion. Results A total of 2,159 patients were included in the RAF and RAF-NOACs trials, of which 564 patients (26%) were treated with urgent reperfusion therapy. After acute stroke, 505 (90%) patients treated with reperfusion and 1,287 out of the 1,595 (81%) patients not treated with reperfusion started oral anticoagulation. Timing of starting oral anticoagulation was similar in reperfusion-treated and untreated patients (13.5±23.3 vs 12.3±18.3 days, respectively, p=0.287). At 90 days, the composite rate of recurrence and major bleeding occurred in 37 (7%) of patients treated with reperfusion treatment and in 139 (9%) of untreated patients (p=0.127). Twenty-four (4%) reperfusion-treated patients and 82 (5%) untreated patients had early recurrence while major bleeding occurred in 13 (2%) treated and in 64 (4%) untreated patients, respectively. Seven patients in the untreated group experienced both an ischemic and hemorrhagic event. Figure 1 shows the risk of early recurrence and major bleeding over time in patients treated and not treated with reperfusion treatments. The use of NOACs was associated with a favorable rate of the primary outcome compared to VKAs (Odd ratio 0.4, 95% Confidence Interval 0.3–0.7). Conclusions Reperfusion treatment did not influence the risk of early recurrence and major bleeding in patients with AF-related acute ischemic stroke who started anticoagulant treatment. Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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