Cardiac arrhythmia affects more than 700,000 people in England and is consistently in the top ten reasons for hospital admission, consuming significant accident and emergency time and bed days.1 In the general population, arrhythmias are normally quite minor, silent, and typically benign. Symptoms may affect the patient enough to be both disruptive and distressful. In […]
Leave nothing to chance
A case of severe aortic stenosis
Cardiovascular risk management series: 2 – Using guidelines as a framework for cardiovascular risk management
Reducing the impact of vascular disease: the proposed Vascular Risk Programme for risk assessment and management
Measurement of baseline total cholesterol: new data from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database
Ambulatory ECG monitoring in primary care
The HYVET study: answering the question of whether or not to treat hypertension in the very elderly
Statin therapy for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: an update (part 2)
The metabolic syndrome: myth or clinically useful marker?
The European perspective
Warfarin for atrial fibrillation: ‘faff’ or lifesaver?
Improving the management and prevention of stroke is a priority for the NHS. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is widely recognised to be a major cause of stroke. Moreover, it is a preventable cause in that the increased risk of stroke associated with AF can be markedly reduced by anticoagulation with warfarin. Yet a substantial number of cases of AF remain undetected and untreated. Of more concern, even after identification of AF, many individuals at high risk of stroke do not receive warfarin. This article reviews the evidence on the importance of AF as a cause of stroke and assesses the benefits of anticoagulation and our reluctance to anticoagulate. Finally, it explores ways of improving on current practice, to increase the proportion of patients with AF receiving anticoagulants.
