Antithrombotic therapy in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: effects and bleeding complications: a stratified analysis of the NASPEAF randomized trial.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation patients with prior embolism have a high risk of vascular events in spite of anticoagulant therapy and elderly patients carry an additional risk. We analysed and compared vascular events-rate between older and younger than 75 years atrial fibrillation patients randomized to anticoagulant-alone or combined antiplatelet plus moderate-level anticoagulant therapy.

Methods And Results: A total of 967 patients stratified by age and the history of prior embolism were randomized to therapeutic doses of anticoagulant-alone or combined antithrombotic therapy.

[Utility of NT-proBNP for diagnosing heart failure in a heterogeneous population of patients with dyspnea. Spanish multicenter study].

Introduction And Objectives: Recent studies have shown that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) are useful in the diagnosis of heart failure in patients presenting with dyspnea. However, the cutoff values used with these markers vary according to patient characteristics and dyspnea severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of using the plasma NT-proBNP level for identifying heart failure in a heterogeneous population of patients with dyspnea.

Effect of antithrombotic therapy in patients with mitral stenosis and atrial fibrillation: a sub-analysis of NASPEAF randomized trial.

Aims: The randomized NASPEAF study included non-valvular with prior embolism and mitral stenosis patients in the same group. This is a sub-study to specially focus on the antithrombotic therapy in mitral stenosis.

Methods And Results: We analysed 311 patients with mitral stenosis, compared with 175 non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients with prior embolism, stratified by a history of previous embolism and assigned to anticoagulant therapy [target international normalized ratio (INR) = 2.

Comparative effects of antiplatelet, anticoagulant, or combined therapy in patients with valvular and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: a randomized multicenter study.

Objectives: This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of antiplatelet and moderate-intensity anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation associated with recognized risk factors or mitral stenosis.

Background: Warfarin was more effective than aspirin in preventing stroke in these patients; combined therapy with low anticoagulant intensity was ineffective. Mitral stenosis patients were not investigated.