Stroke Prevention by Anticoagulants in Daily Practice Depending on Atrial Fibrillation Pattern and Clinical Risk Factors.

Background And Purpose: The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of individual direct oral anticoagulants versus vitamin K antagonists for primary prevention of stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) in routine clinical practice in patients with various clinical risk factors depending on their atrial fibrillation (AF) patterns.

Methods: A nested case-referent study was conducted using data from 2 national registries of patients with stroke and AF. Stroke cases with previous history of AF were matched to up to 2 randomly selected referent patients with AF and no stroke.

Evaluation of the Switch From Amiodarone to Dronedarone in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Results of the ARTEMIS AF Studies.

Background: Switching between antiarrhythmic drugs is timed to minimize arrhythmia recurrence and adverse reactions. Dronedarone and amiodarone have similar electrophysiological profiles; however, little is known about the optimal timing of switching, given the long half-life of amiodarone.

Methods: The ARTEMIS atrial fibrillation (AF) Loading and Long-term studies evaluated switching patients with paroxysmal/persistent AF from amiodarone to dronedarone.

Population movement and sudden cardiac arrest location.

Background: Although the benefits of automatic external defibrillators are undeniable, their effectiveness could be dramatically improved. One of the key issues is the disparity between the locations of automatic external defibrillators and sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs).

Methods And Results: From emergency medical services and other Parisian agencies, data on all SCAs occurring in public places in Paris, France, were prospectively collected between 2000 and 2010 and recorded using 2020 grid areas.

Health-related quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with rhythm control versus rate control: insights from a prospective international registry (Registry on Cardiac Rhythm Disorders Assessing the Control of Atrial Fibrillation: RECORD-AF).

Background: Improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important treatment goal in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Uncertainty exists as to whether patients' HRQoL differ when treated with medical rhythm control or rate control. We compared HRQoL between patients treated with rhythm control or rate control in a large observational registry of patients with recent-onset AF.

Causes of death and influencing factors in patients with atrial fibrillation: a competing-risk analysis from the randomized evaluation of long-term anticoagulant therapy study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased mortality, but the specific causes of death and their predictors have not been described among patients on effective anticoagulant therapy.

Methods And Results: The Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy (RE-LY) trial randomized 18 113 patients (age, 71.5 ± 9 years; male, 64%; CHADS2 score, 2.