Background: Prevention of stroke is a pivotal intervention in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Because of the difficulties of safely implementing Vitamin K Antagonists in all patients, there has been a growing interest in improving the pharmacological management of AF with newer antithrombotic agents. The new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been developed to overcome the limitations and improve the efficacy of the conventional oral anticoagulant drugs. Among the NOACs, apixaban - a very specific antagonist of activated factor Xa - has pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties that allow significant efficacy in AF management.
Objective: The aim of this review is to summarise the available data on the efficacy of apixaban in patients with AF, with a particular focus on the implications for its clinical management.
Results And Conclusion: Clinical application of apixaban in subgroups of patients with AF is still under investigation and some contraindications should be taken into account. Despite these limitations, apixaban is an effective alternative to warfarin and aspirin for stroke prevention in AF, with encouraging evidence also in terms of adherence to treatment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389450118666171013095413 | DOI Listing |
J Med Econ
January 2025
Sanofi, Bridgewater, NJ.
Objective/AimIn 2009, dronedarone was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration based on results from the ATHENA trial (NCT00174785), which showed significant reduction of cardiovascular (CV) hospitalization and death in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) randomized to dronedarone versus placebo. In 2020, a retrospective study by Goehring et al. showed CV hospitalizations and deaths were lower in clinical practice following initiation of dronedarone compared to other antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) in patients with AF and atrial flutter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cardiovasc Med
January 2025
Department of Medical Imaging, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of utilizing cardiac computer tomography (CT) images for extracting the radiomic features of the myocardium at the junction between the left atrial appendage (LAA) and the left atrium (LA) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and to evaluate its asscociation with the risk of AF.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 82 cases of AF and 56 cases in the control group who underwent cardiac CT at our hospital from May 2022 to May 2023, with recorded clinical information. The morphological parameters of the LAA were measured.
Clin Case Rep
February 2025
Department of Emergency Medicine Hamad Medical Corporation Doha Qatar.
This case highlights that atrial fibrillation can occur as an adverse effect of tamsulosin even in younger patients at lower doses, challenging the conventional understanding that this complication primarily affects older individuals on higher doses. Clinicians should remain vigilant for this potential side effect across all patient demographics to ensure prompt identification and management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Heart J Case Rep
January 2025
Cardiovascular Centre, Social Medical Corporation Steel Memorial Yawata Hospital, 1-1-1 Haruno-machi, Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu 805-8508, Japan.
Background: The superior vena cava (SVC) acts as a non-pulmonary vein (PV) trigger for atrial fibrillation (AF) in 2%-6% of patients and harbours 25%-40% of non-PV foci. Approximately 10% of patients with AF have epicardial connections (ECs) between the atrium and PV inside the PV isolation lines, which are associated with AF recurrence. However, the contribution of EC(s) between the SVC and right atrium (RA) to subsequent AF remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCJC Open
January 2025
Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background: Preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) as one of the most significant complications of cardiovascular surgeries remains a major clinical challenge. We conducted a systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, to identify the most effective and safe anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent new-onset POAF.
Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched without language or publication-date restriction on August 8, 2022 (updated on August 8, 2023).
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