Atrial fibrillation

>> Do I need antithrombotic treatment and if so, which one?
>> Are there alternatives to vitamin K antagonists?

Do I need antithrombotic treatment and if so, which is the best?

Atrial fibrillation is relatively common among the elderly population. During atrial fibrillation blood clots develop within the heart and are then transported with the blood to the brain where they can cause stroke. Risk factors of stroke among patients with atrial fibrillation are advanced age, prior stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiac insufficiency, arterial disease and female gender. The more risk factors present in an individual patient, the higher is the risk of stroke. A new scoring system (CHA2DS2-Vasc) has been introduced in order to indentify patients who will benefit from aniticoagulant therapy.

Are there alternatives to vitamin K antagonists?

New anticoagulants (Pradaxa, Xarelto) are now available for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillations. These therapies are at least as safe and effective as compared tom the Vitamin K antogonists.