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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

MANY AFIB PATIENTS NOT BEING PRESCRIBED ANTICOAGULANTS

MedPage Today (9/3, Susman) reported, "A first look at a massive international registry of treatment for atrial fibrillation indicates that a high percentage of individuals are not being prescribed anticoagulation treatment that can reduce their risk of stroke, researchers said" at the European Society of Cardiology meeting. Researchers found that "of the nearly 10,000 patients in the initial cohort of the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the Field (Garfield), CHADS2 scoring showed 55% of them to be eligible for anticoagulation therapy, but 33% of them didn't get it." MedPage Today pointed out that "guidelines call for treatment with anticoagulation to prevent strokes in patients with CHADS2 scores of 2 or higher."

POSTED BY STEVEN ALMANY, MD