July 11, 1994Archives of Internal Medicine145 citations
Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke
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Key Points
- This research aims to clarify the role of antithrombotic therapies in preventing strokes among patients with atrial fibrillation.
- Compared the efficacy of oral anticoagulation, aspirin, and placebo in the European Atrial Fibrillation Trial.
Structured PICO
Does antithrombotic therapy prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation?
P
Population
Patients with atrial fibrillation, including those with a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack and elderly patients
I
Intervention
Antithrombotic therapy (oral anticoagulation, warfarin, aspirin)
C
Comparator
Placebo or active comparator (e.g., aspirin vs. warfarin)
O
Outcome
Stroke preventionhard clinical
This review summarizes key early evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Abstract
There new studies help clarify important clinical issues regarding antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. The European Atrial Fibrillation Trial compared the efficacy of oral anticoagulation, aspirin, and placebo for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation with a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack. The results of the Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation II trial, which compared the efficacy of warfarin and aspirin, provide new information regarding the risk of intracranial hemorrhage in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. Finally, an analysis of pooled data from the first five randomized trials identified clinical features that are predictive of stroke risk in individual patients with atrial fibrillation. These studies address unanswered questions regarding atrial fibrillation and stroke and have significant implications for patient management. (Arch Intern Med. 1994;154:1443-1448)
Cite This Study
Gregory W. Albers (1994) studied this question.