Epidemiological study: Use of anticoagulants in the management of atrial fibrillation among general practices in England

Source: Heart Area: News Despite the fact that anticoagulation is very effective in preventing strokes due to atrial fibrillation (AF), there is extensive evidence that anticoagulants (AC) remain underused. The Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF) tool is a software suite based on the CHADS2 risk evaluation system, which searches general practice clinical information systems to enable practices to identify patients with a history of AF and review their individual risk profile.   The aggregated uploaded information from GRASP-AF forms the basis of this study which provides insights into the prevalence and contemporary management of AF in England. Data came from 1857 general practices, representing a practice population of 13.1 million registered patients, of which, 231,833 patients had a history of AF.  The primary outcome was anticoagulant (AC) and antiplatelet (AP) use by CHADS2 score and age groups <30 years, 30 to 49 years, 50 to 64 years, ...
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Source Type: news