Impact of different anticoagulation management strategies on outcomes in atrial fibrillation: Dutch and Belgian results from the GARFIELD-AF registry.

Background: The uptake rate of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOAC) for the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) was far lower in the Netherlands (NL) compared to Belgium (BE). Also, patients on VKA in NL were treated with a higher target international normalized ratio (INR) range of 2.5 to 3.

Treatment patterns in anticoagulant therapy in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in Belgium: results from the GARFIELD-AF registry.

AF, anticoagulation, NOACs, changing patterns of prescription. We describe baseline data and treatment patterns of patients recruited in Belgium in the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF). Recruitment began when novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) were introduced and provides a unique picture of changing treatment patterns over time.

A young man with chest pain and fever.

A young man with an unremarkable medical history was diagnosed with meningococcal endocarditis and was treated with penicillin and gentamycin. Further history was complicated by a fistulisation between the left ventricle and right atrium and aortic and tricuspid valve insufficiency. Aortic valve replacement, correction of the fistulisation and annuloplasty of the tricuspid valve were performed with good results.

Laparoscopic transabdominal pericardial window: new standard in the treatment of recurrent pericardial effusion complicated by cardiac tamponade.

Creation of a transabdominal transdiaphragmatic pericardial window for life-threatening recurrent pericardial effusion has proved to be a safe minimally invasive technique. By inducing adequate pericardial sac decompression while avoiding single-lung ventilation and thoracic drainage in severely ill patients, it provides anatomopathologic diagnosis and can direct further therapeutic measures. The transabdominal approach improves postoperative recovery dramatically by limiting postoperative pain and prevents sometimes invalidating intercostal neuralgia.