Of 3,080 patients, 42% were female. Women with ECG-documented AF were significantly older than men (81AE8 vs. 77AE7 years, p < 0.0001). Clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients by gender are described in Table 1. Among high stroke risk hospitalized patients with a CHADS2!2, there was no difference between anticoagulant use at discharge in women vs. men; warfarin (49% vs. 46%, p¼NS) or novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) (11% vs. 10%, p¼NS). Among hospitalized patients between the ages of 65-74 years old, slightly more women than men were on warfarin (43% vs. 37%, p¼0.0495). NOAC use was similar between genders at hospital discharge (10% vs. 8%, p¼NS). Among hospitalized patients over the age of 75 years old, there was no significant difference in the prescription of warfarin between women and men (48% vs. 46%, p¼NS) or NOACs (9% vs. 9%, p¼ NS). CONCLUSION: Among patients admitted to an academic hospital with ECG-documented AF and guideline-indicated for stroke prevention with anticoagulants, there was no difference in anticoagulant use between men and women at hospital discharge. Overall, anticoagulant use appears to be suboptimal.

No abstract

No abstract

BACKGROUND: Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is a common clinical problem that significantly reduces quality of life yet lacks effective medical therapies. Midodrine is an alpha1-adrenergic receptor agonist pro-drug with a short half-life that requires a multiple dose regimen. Existing literature suggests that midodrine might provide effective suppression of recurrent VVS, but studies have used heterogeneous methods and have yielded inconsistent results. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of midodrine to prevent syncope in patients with recurrent VVS.

1). The annual rate of SSE increased form 2006-2010 and has been decreasing in the later years (p¼0.007) while new HF hospitalizations have remained about 2 times higher over time (p¼0.32) and major haemorrhage is unchanged (p¼0.32). Both CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-Vasc scores were positively associated with increasing risk of adverse outcomes (p < 0.001). There were significant differences in outcome rates across provinces (Table 1). The highest rate of SSE and HF hospitalization was in Prince Edward Island (3.9%, 7.2%, respectively) and lowest in Newfoundland (2.3%, 5.4%, respectively). CONCLUSION: In this landmark assessment of the quality of care for AF/AFL in Canada, we found that although AF/AFL hospitalization rates appear to be decreasing, the stroke risk scores among these patients is increasing. The 1-year risk of new HF is twice as high as that of SSE. Significant geographic differences suggest the need for continued bench-marking and standardized care protocols.