Posts Tagged ‘AF’

June 18th, 2014

Yet Another Delay for Boston Scientific’s Watchman Device

Boston Scientific hopes the third time will be the charm. The company disclosed on Tuesday yet another obstacle in the path to approval for its novel Watchman left atrial appendage closure device for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Although it has already been before two FDA advisory panels, the company said […]


March 4th, 2014

AF Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Also Benefit from Warfarin

Anticoagulation is a cornerstone of therapy for atrial fibrillation because it lowers the heightened risk for stroke in this population. People with chronic kidney disease are also at increased risk for stroke, but the benefits of anticoagulation are less clear in this group, and anticoagulation is used less often in AF patients who have CKD. […]


January 28th, 2014

Problems Persist Despite Gains in Oral Anticoagulant Use

Although significant progress has been made in recent years, a new survey from the European Society of Cardiology finds that there are still too many atrial fibrillation patients who are not taking the best medications to reduce their elevated risk for stroke. Many elderly patients are not receiving oral anticoagulants — either traditional warfarin or […]


November 19th, 2013

Another New Anticoagulant Works Well in AF Patients

Edoxaban, a direct oral factor Xa inhibitor, is the latest in the series of new oral anticoagulants seeking to take over the troubled role of warfarin in clinical practice. The results of ENGAGE-AF-TIMI 48 were presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Dallas and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, more than 21,000 […]


April 16th, 2013

Small Study Links Left Anterior Fascicular Block to AF and CHF

In people without known cardiovascular (CV) disease the presence of left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) has not been thought to indicate increased risk. Now a research letter published in JAMA finds evidence that elderly people with LAFB are more likely to die and to develop atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure (CHF) than people without LAFB. […]


January 14th, 2013

Atrial Fibrillation Linked to Increased Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death

Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is well known to be associated with an increase in the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, a similar association with sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been suspected but not demonstrated in the past. Now, a new study examining data from two large population studies offers evidence that AF is […]


December 28th, 2012

FDA Approves Eliquis (Apixaban) for Stroke Prevention in AF

The FDA has finally approved apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer) to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). The action comes after the widely-anticipated drug had been plagued by delays at the FDA but well before the PDUFA deadline of March 17, 2013. Eliquis is the latest member […]


October 24th, 2012

Atrial Fibrillation: Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation and Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy Compared

A trial comparing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) to antiarrhythmic drug therapy (AAD) as initial therapy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) found no difference in the overall burden of AF between the groups. But the trial also turned up evidence supporting the use of RFA as an initial treatment strategy in some patients. In a paper published in […]


October 23rd, 2012

High Rate of Warfarin Discontinuation Observed in Study

One of the many potential problems with warfarin-based anticoagulant therapy is the poor rate of adherence and persistence among patients who are prescribed the drug. Now an observational study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine raises the possibility that the problem may be even worse than many have suspected, as discontinuation rates in clinical trials appear […]


May 8th, 2012

In AF, Women Have a Higher Stroke Risk Than Men

In an elderly population, when compared to men with atrial fibrillation, women with AF have a significantly elevated risk for stroke. This increased risk occurs regardless of warfarin use.