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Friday, September 9, 2011

USE OF WARFARIN AMONG AFIB PATIENTS MAY BE INSCONSISTENT

MedPage Today (8/3, Kaiser) reported that, "among atrial fibrillation patients who were candidates for warfarin therapy, only about half were on the drug, with rates ranging widely across practices," according to an analysis which used data from "the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence (PINNACLE) program." While just "55.1% of patients were taking warfarin, the mean CHADS2 score for all patients -- on warfarin or not -- was 2.5, 'suggesting an almost random pattern of treatment.'" Meanwhile, "the treatment rate differed significantly at the practice level, ranging from 25% to 80%." The research is published online in the American Journal of Cardiology.

POSTED BY STEVEN ALMANY, MD

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