Atrial Fibrillation
Shared Decision-Making: Video demonstrations to support in-person conversations between clinicians and their AFib patients. Includes explanation of normal rhythm vs. AFib, stroke risk, blood thinners, and the WATCHMAN device.
Read MoreShared Decision-Making: Interactive guide to help patients understand how to reduce the risk of stroke due to AFib and live a better life.
Read MoreEducation – Clinical: Calculates stroke risk for patients with atrial fibrillation, possibly better than the CHADS₂ Score.
Read MoreTools: ManageAnticoag helps clinicians navigate periprocedural planning and bleed management scenarios for patients on oral anticoagulants (OAC).
Read MoreGuidelines/Clinical Documents: Guidelines from CCS to inform best practices for clinicians across all disciplines while treating AFib patients. This document should be an important aid for knowledge translation and a tool to help improve clinical management of this important and challenging arrhythmia.
Read MoreSummary of Evidence-Based Guideline Update: Prevention of Stroke in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation. Report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology (Culebras et al, Neurology 2014)
Read MoreGuidelines/Clinical Documents: Guidelines document outlining best practices for oral anticoagulation in patients with nonvalvular AFib and a CHA2DS2-VASc Score of 1.
Read MoreBackground: Atrial fibrillation affects 1–2% of the general population and 10% of those over 75, and is responsible for around a quarter of all strokes. These strokes are largely preventable by the use of anticoagulation therapy, although many eligible patients are not treated. Recent large clinical trials have added to the evidence base on stroke prevention and international clinical guidelines have been updated. Design: Consensus practical recommendations from primary care physicians with an interest in vascular disease and vascular specialists. Methods: A focussed all-day meeting, with presentation of summary evidence under each section of this guidance and review of European guidelines on stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, was used to generate a draft document, which then underwent three cycles of revision and debate before all panel members agreed with the consensus statements. Results: Six areas were identified that included how to identify patients with atrial fibrillation, how to determine their stroke risk and whether to recommend modification of this risk, and what management options are available, with practical recommendations on maximising benefit and minimising risk if anticoagulation is recommended and the reasons why antiplatelet therapy is no longer recommended. The summary evidence is presented for each area and simple summary recommendations are highlighted, with areas of remaining uncertainty listed. Conclusions: Atrial fibrillation-related stroke is a major public health priority for most health systems. This practical guidance can assist generalist community physicians to translate the large evidence base for this cause of preventable stroke and implement this at a local level.
Read MoreGuidelines/Clinical Documents: To review the evidence and provide clinical recommendations for the pharmacologic management of atrial fibrillation. Methods: This guideline is based on two systematic reviews of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective and retrospective observational studies from 2000 to 2012. An updated literature search was performed to identify new studies from 2012 to December 31, 2015. The targeted audience for the guideline includes all primary care clinicians, and the targeted patient population includes adults who have nonvalvular atrial fibrillation that is not due to a reversible cause. This guideline was developed using a modified version of GRADE to evaluate the quality of the evidence and make recommendations based on the balance of benefits and harms.
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