OBJECTIVE: Appropriate use of drugs to prevent thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) involves comparing the patient's risk of stroke and risk of hemorrhage. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the efficacy of these medications.
METHODS:We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of drugs used to prevent thromboembolism in adults with nonpostoperative AF. Articles were identified through the Cochrane Collaboration's CENTRAL database and MEDLINE until May 1998. A trial fibrillation (AF) is an increasingly common cardiac dysrhythmia affecting over 2 million people in the United States. 1-3 Restoration of sinus rhythm may involve consultation with a cardiologist; however, the prevention of cardioembolic events in patients who remain in AF falls within the domain of the primary care physician. 4 With a recently estimated 3.9 million office visits yearly for patients with AF, 5 internists need to aware of the current evidence regarding prevention of thromboembolic disease in order to provide the best care for their patients.
MAIN RESULTS:The estimate that only one third of patients in AF are receiving warfarin is remarkably consistent across studies, 4,6-8 and has raised concerns that warfarin is greatly underutilized in patients with chronic AF. However, for interventions like warfarin that involve significant trade-offs, clinicians need a reliable synthesis of information on risks and benefits in order to make appropriate recommendations to patients. Therefore, we reviewed all of the randomized controlled trials involving anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents in the prevention of thromboembolism in patients with AF. Our aim was to evaluate the strength of the evidence on the efficacy and safety of the drugs used for the prevention of thromboembolic complications in adults with nonpostoperative AF and to report this information in a format useful to clinicians.