In a cohort of 13,709 patients with atrial fibrillation, approximately two-thirds were prescribed warfarin, with only about half of study days spent in the target therapeutic range.
Cohort (n=13,709)
Yes
In routine US clinical practice, warfarin is underprescribed for eligible AF patients, and those who do receive it spend only about half their time in the therapeutic range.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of thromboprophylaxis rates and the quality of anticoagulation control among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using a large, geographically diverse database of electronic medical records. The study population consisted of 13,709 AF patients treated in US outpatient physician practices. Approximately two-thirds were prescribed warfarin alone or in combination with another drug. Older patients, males, and those with congestive heart failure (CHF) or prior stroke were more likely to receive antithrombotic therapy. Among 6454 patients treated with warfarin who had at least two valid prothrombin time/international normalised ratio test results, approximately half of study days were spent in target range. Female sex, CHF and residence in the Northeast were associated with more time out of range. Our study confirms that, in routine medical practice, warfarin is not prescribed for substantial numbers of eligible patients, and anticoagulation control with warfarin is suboptimal for many of those at risk for thromboembolism.
Boulanger et al. (Wed,) conducted a cohort in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (n=13,709). Antithrombotic therapy was evaluated on Thromboprophylaxis rates and quality of anticoagulation control. In a cohort of 13,709 patients with atrial fibrillation, approximately two-thirds were prescribed warfarin, with only about half of study days spent in the target therapeutic range.