Antithrombotic treatment in real-life atrial fibrillation patients: A report from the Euro Heart Survey on Atrial Fibrillation

Robby Nieuwlaat, Alessandro Capucci, Gregory Y.H. Lip, S. Bertil Olsson, Martin H. Prins, Fred H. Nieman, José López-Sendón, Panos E. Vardas, Etienne Aliot, Massimo Santini, Harry J.G.M. Crijns, Dieter Andresen, A. John Camm, Wynn Davies, Samuel Le´vy, Gu¨nter Breithardt, Stuart Cobbe, Jean Yves Le Heuzey, Malika Manini, Claire BramleyVale´rie Laforest, Charles Taylor, Susan Del Gaiso, Kurt Huber, Guy De Backer, Vera Sirakova, Roman Cerbak, Per Thayssen, Seppo Lehto, Jean Jacques Blanc, Franc¸ois Delahaye, Bondo Kobulia, Uwe Zeymer, Dennis Cokkinos, Kristof Karlocai, Ian Graham, Emer Shelley, Shlomo Behar, Aldo Maggioni, Lino Gonc¸alves, Virginija Grabauskiene, Inger Asmussen, Jaap Deckers, Janina Stepinska, Vyacheslav Mareev, Zorana Vasiljevic, Igor Riecansky, Miran F. Kenda, Angeles Alonso, Annika Rosengren, Peter Buser, Tugrul Okay, Oleg Sychov, Kevin Fox, Peter Schofield, Maarten Simoons, David Wood, Alex Battler, Eric Boersma, Kim Fox, Michel Komajda, Keith McGregor, Barbara Mulder, Sylvia Priori, Lars Ryde´n, Alec Vahanian, William Wijns, Sanofi-Aventis, S. V. Grigoryan, I. Apetyan, S. Aroyan, L. Azarapetyan, Anahit Anvari, Michael Gottsauner-Wolf, Stefan Pfaffenberger, Kadriye Aydinkoc, Karim Kalla, Martina Penka, Heinz Drexel, Peter Langer, Luc A. Pierard, Victor Legrand, Dominique Blommaert, E. Schroeder, Isabelle Mancini, P. Geelen, P. Brugada, Marc De Zutter, Christiaan Vrints, Marc Vercammen, Marielle Morissens, Boyanov Borisov, Valentin Asenov Petrov, Maria Marinova, Alexandrova Assen, Rachev Goudev, Yavor Peychev, Vassil Stoyanovsky, Evgeni Stoynev, Stjepan Kranjcevic, Joseph Moutiris, Marios Ioannides, Dominique Evequoz, Jaroslava Spacilova, Miroslav Novak, Martin Eisenberger, Jolana Mullerova, Josef Kautzner, Lucie Riedlbauchova, Jan Petru`, Milos Taborsky, Helle Cappelen, Yasser A. Sharaf, B. S.S. Ibrahim, Khalid Tammam, Aly Saad, Helmy Elghawaby, Hamed Zaky Sherif, Heba Farouk, Arlett Mielke, Markus Engelen, Paulus Kirchhof, Pia Zimmermann, F. Fernandez Aviles, Jeronimo Rubio, F. Malpartida, M. Corona, Luis Tercedor Sanchez, Jose Miguel, Lozano Herrera, Aurelio Quesada, Antonio J.Munoz Garcia, Carlos Sanchez Gonzalez, M. Soledad Alcasena Juango, Jesus Berjon-Reyero, Josep M. Alegret, J. M.Cruz Fernandez, Cesar Carrascosa, Rosillo Antonio Fernandez Romero, Miguel Gonza´lez Lara, Jose´ L.Lopez Sendon, Jose´ Juan Gomez de Diego, Luis Sosa Martin, Maria Irurita, Norbero Herrera Guttierez, Juan Ramon Siles Rubio, Isabel Antorrena, Alicia Bautista Paves, Antonio Salvador, Maria Dolores Orriach, A. Alonso Garcia, Francisco Epelde, Vicente Bertomeu Martinez, Antonio Berruezo Sanchez, Carlos Pinero Galvez, Rafael Fernandez Rivero, Antonio Hernandez Madrid, Gonzalo Baron-Esquivias, Rafael Peinado, Jose´ Antonio Gomez Guindal, Tomas Ripoll Vera, Emilio Luengo Fernandez, Ricardo Gayan, Javier Garcia, Andres Bodegas, Jesus Toril Lopez, Julio Martinez Florez, Cristobal Lozano Cabezas, Eduardo Vazquez Ruiz de Castroviejo, Juan Munoz Bellido, Maria Eugenia Ruiz, Kirsti Savolainen, Markku Nieminen, Lauri Toivonen, Mikko Syvanne, Mervi Pietila, Daniel Galley, Christine Beltra, Alain Gay, J. C. Daubert, Guillaume Lecocq, Christine Poulain, J. G.F.C. Cleland, Rhidian Shelton, A. Choudhury, Gulnara Abuladze, Irina Jashi, Anastasia Tsiavou, G. Giamouzis, N. Dagres, A. Kostopoulou, Domproglou Tsoutsanis, C. Stefanadis, George Latsios, Ioannis Vogiatzis, Alexandros Gotsis, Paraskevi Bozia, Maria Karakiriou, Spyridon Koulouris, John Parissis, George Kostakis, Nikos Kouris, Dimitra Kontogianni, Koutroubas Athanasios, Alexandros Douras, Themistoklis Tsanakis, Mary Marketou, Nikolaos Patsourakos, Laszlo Czopf, Robert Halmosi, Istvan Pre´da, Eva Csoti, Andrea Badics, Boris Strasberg, Nahum A. Freedberg, Amos Katz, Eli Zalzstein, Aviva Grosbard, E. Goldhammer, Menachem Nahir, Menashe Epstein, Ida Vider, David Luria, Lori Mandelzweig, Bruno Aloisi, Alfio Cavallaro, Emanuele Antonielli, Baldassarre Doronzo, Diego Pancaldo, Carlo Mazzola, Liliana Buontempi, Valeria Calvi, Giuseppe Giuffrida, Antonino Figlia, Francesco Ippolito, Gian Paolo Gelmini, N. Gaibazzi, Virgilio Ziacchi, Francesco De Tommasi, Federico Lombardi, Cesare Fiorentini, Paolo Terranova, Pietro Maiolino, Muhamad Albunni, Plinio Pinna-Pintor, Stefano Fumagalli, Guilio Masotti, Lorenzo Boncinelli, Domenico Rossi, Giovanni Maria Santoro, Massimo Fioranelli, Franco Naccarella, Stefano Sdringola Maranga, Giovannina Lepera, Barbara Bresciani, Elena Seragnoli, Mara Cantelli Forti, Valentina Cortina, Giacinto Baciarello, Paolo Cicconetti, Antonio Lax, Federica Vitali, Diran Igidbashian, Luisa Scarpino, Sergio Terrazzino, Luigi Tavazzi, Francesco Cantu, Francesco Pentimalli, Salvatore Novo, Giuseppe Coppola, Gianluca Zingarini, Giuseppe Ambrozio, Paolo Moruzzi, Sergio Callegari, Gabriele Saccomanno, Paolo Russo, Emanuele Carbonieri, Anna Paino, Marco Zanetta, Enzo Barducci, Roberto Cemin, Werner Rauhe, Walter Pitscheider, Marina Meloni, Sergio Mariano Marchi, Marco Di Gennaro, Sergio Calcagno, Paola Squaratti, Francesco Quartili, Patrizia Bertocchi, Mario De Martini, Giuseppe Mantovani, Roman Komorovsky, Alessandro Desideri, Leopoldo Celegon, Luigi Tarantini, Giuseppe Catania, Donata Lucci, Francesca Bianchini, Aras Puodziukynas, Ausra Kavoliuniene, Vilija Barauskiene, Audrius Aidietis, Jurate Barysiene, Vitas Vysniauskas, Irena Zukauskiene, Nijole Kazakeviciene, Ljubica Georgievska-Ismail, Lidija Poposka, Eleonora Vataman, Aurel A. Grosu, Wilma Scholte op Reimer, Esther de Swart, Mattie Lenzen, Chris Jansen, Ritzo Brons, Henriette Tebbe, D. C.A. van Hoogenhuyze, M. J. Veerhoek, Maria Kamps, D. Haan, Nitolanda van Rijn, Annette Bootsma, Leo Baur, Adrie van den, Heidi Fransen, Luc Eurlings, Joan Meeder, M. J. De Boer, Jobst Winter, Herman Broers, Chris Werter, M. Bijl, Saskia Versluis, Malgorzata Milkowska, Beata Wozakowska-Kaplon, Marianna Janion, Lidia Lepska, Grazyna Swiatecka, Piotr Kokowicz, Jacek Cybulski, Aleksandr Gorecki, Marcin Szulc, Jerzy Rekosz, Rafal Manczak, Anna Maria Wnuk-Wojnar, M. Trusz-Gluza, Anna Rybicka-Musialik, Jaroslaw Myszor, Michal Szpajer, Krzysztof Cymerman, Jerzy Sadowski, Maria Sniezek-Maciejewska, Mariola Ciesla-Dul, Izabela Gorkiewicz-Kot, Tomasz Grodzicki, Krzysztof Rewiuk, Leszek Kubik, Jacek Lewit, Joao Manuel Frazao Rodrigues de Sousa, Rafael Ferreira, Antonio Freitas, Joao Carlos Araujo Morais, Rui Pires, M. J.Veloso Gomes, Paula Gago, Rui Alexandre C. Candeias, Luis Nunes, Joao Vitor Miranda Sa, Miguel Ventura, Mario de Oliveira, Luis Brandao Alves, Ioan Bostaca, Codin T. Olariu, G. A. Dan, Anca Dan, Cristian Podoleanu, Attila Frigy, George I.M. Georgescu, Catalina Arsenescu, Cristian Statescu, Radu Sascau, Dan L. Dimitrascu, Raluca Rancea, Yuri V. Shubik, Dmitry Duplyakov, Marina Shalak, Marine Danielyan, Albert Galyavich, Venera Zakirova, Robert Hatala, Gabriela Kaliska, Jan Kmec, Igor Zupan, Jerneja Tasie`, Damijan Vokac, Nils Edvardsson, Dritan Poci, Habib Gamra, Hichem Denguir, Ahmet Sepetoglu, Alev Arat-Ozkan, Mariya Orynchak, Elena Paliy, I. Vakalyuk, David Malidze, Rostyslav Prog, Myckola Ivanovich Yabluchansky, Nataliya Volodimirovna Makienko, Tatjana Potpara, Sofija Knezevic, Miomir Randjelovic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

366 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aims: To describe guideline adherence and application of different stroke risk stratification schemes regarding antithrombotic therapy in real-life atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and to assess which factors influence antithrombotic management decisions. Methods and results: The Euro Heart Survey enrolled 5333 AF patients in 35 countries, in 2003 and 2004. Prescription of antithrombotic drugs, especially oral anticoagulation (OAC), was hardly tailored to the patient's stroke risk profile as indicated by the joint guidelines of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology, ACCP guidelines, or CHADS 2 and Framingham risk scores. In multivariable analysis, only a limited number of the well-known stroke risk factors triggered OAC prescription. In contrast, less relevant factors, of which clinical type of AF and availability of an OAC monitoring outpatient clinic were the most marked, played a significant role in OAC prescription. Electrical cardioversions and catheter ablations clearly triggered OAC prescription, whereas pharmacological cardioversions even in the presence of stroke risk factors did not. Conclusion: Antithrombotic therapy in AF is hardly tailored to the patient's stroke risk profile. Factors other than well-known stroke risk factors were significantly involved in antithrombotic management decisions. To facilitate this tailored treatment, guideline writers and physician educators should focus on providing one uniform and easy to use stroke risk stratification scheme.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3018-3026
Number of pages9
JournalEuropean Heart Journal
Volume27
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2006

Keywords

  • Antithrombotic therapy
  • Atrial fibrillation
  • Guidelines
  • Oral anticoagulation
  • Risk stratification
  • Stroke

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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