New Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines Emphasize Stroke Prevention - The Diigo Meta page

• 03 Aug 06
  

  Andrew Schamess

  afib cardiology medicine

  • The guidelines also addressed catheter ablation for the first time and Dr. Fuster said that patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation who do not respond to drug therapy may benefit from this relatively new procedure as long as there is "little or no left atrial enlargement."
  • Although it is "reasonable to make at least one attempt to restore sinus rhythm, the AFFIRM study showed no difference in survival or quality of life with rate control compared to rhythm control strategies," the guidelines authors wrote.
  • The anticoagulation recommendations ranged from daily aspirin therapy for patients with no stroke risk factors (81 mg to 325 mg), to aspirin or Coumadin (warfarin) for those at moderate risk of stroke and Coumadin for high risk individuals. These were defined as atrial fibrillation patients with a history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, systemic embolism, or a prosthetic heart valve. Coumadin was also recommended for those with two or more moderate risk factors (over age 75, hypertension, congestive heart failure, impaired left ventricular function or diabetes).

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