'Real-world' antithrombotic treatment in atrial fibrillation: The EORP-AF pilot survey.
BACKGROUND
Current guidelines strongly recommend that oral anticoagulation should be offered to patients with atrial fibrillation and ≥1 stroke risk factors. The guidelines also recommend that oral anticoagulation still should be used in the presence of stroke risk factors irrespective of rate or rhythm control.


METHODS
In an analysis from the dataset of the EURObservational Research Programme on Atrial Fibrillation Pilot Survey (n = 3119), we examined antithrombotic therapy prescribing, with particular focus on the risk factors determining oral anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy use.


RESULTS
When oral anticoagulation was used among admitted patients in whom no pharmacologic cardioversion, electrical cardioversion, or catheter ablation was performed or planned, vitamin K antagonist therapy was prescribed in the majority (72.2%), whereas novel oral anticoagulants were used in the minority (7.7%). There was no significant difference in bleeding risk factors among the patients treated with the different types of antithrombotic therapies, except for those with chronic kidney disease, in whom oral anticoagulation was less commonly used (P = .0318). Antiplatelet therapy was more commonly used in patients with a high Hypertension, Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile international normalized ratio, Elderly (>65 years), Drugs/alcohol concomitantly score (≥2) (P < .0001). More oral anticoagulation use was associated with female gender (P = .0245). Less novel oral anticoagulant use was associated with valvular heart disease (P < .0001), chronic heart failure (P = .0010), coronary artery disease (P < .0001), and peripheral artery disease (P = .0092). Coronary artery disease was the strongest reason for combination therapy with oral anticoagulation plus antiplatelet drug (odds ratio, 8.54; P < .0001). When the Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age ≥75 [Doubled], Diabetes, Stroke [Doubled]-Vascular disease, Age 65-74, and Sex category [female] score was used, 95.6% of patients with a score ≥1 received antithrombotic therapy, with 80.5% of patients with a score ≥1 receiving oral anticoagulation. Of note, 83.7% of those with a score ≥2 received antithrombotic therapy. Of the latter, 70.9% of those with a score ≥2 received oral anticoagulation, vitamin K antagonists were used in 64.1%, and novel oral anticoagulants were used in 6.9%.


CONCLUSIONS
The EURObservational Research Programme on Atrial Fibrillation Pilot Survey provides contemporary data on oral anticoagulation prescribing by European cardiologists for atrial fibrillation. Although the uptake of oral anticoagulation (mostly vitamin K antagonist therapy) has improved since the Euro Heart Survey a decade ago, antiplatelet therapy is still commonly prescribed, with or without oral anticoagulation, whereas elderly patients are commonly undertreated with oral anticoagulation.
University of Birmingham Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, City Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Electronic address: g.y.h.lip@bham.ac.uk.
Gregory Y H
GY
Lip
EURObservational Research Programme Department, European Society of Cardiology, Sophia Antipolis, France.
Cécile
C
Laroche
Department of Cardiology, Colentina University Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
Gheorghe-Andrei
GA
Dan
Cardiovascular Department, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Massimo
M
Santini
Department of Cardiology, Silesian Center for Heart Disease, Zabrze, Poland.
Zbigniew
Z
Kalarus
Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; Aalborg Thrombosis Research Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Lars Hvilsted
LH
Rasmussen
Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine Oradea, Emergency Clinical County Hospital of Oradea, Oradea, Romania.
Popescu Mircea
PM
Ioachim
Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine Oradea, Emergency Clinical County Hospital of Oradea, Oradea, Romania.
Otilia
O
Tica
Institute of Cardiology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
Giuseppe
G
Boriani
Institute of Cardiology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
Paolo
P
Cimaglia
Institute of Cardiology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
Igor
I
Diemberger
Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; Aalborg Thrombosis Research Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Camilla Fragtrup
CF
Hellum
Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; Aalborg Thrombosis Research Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Bettina
B
Mortensen
EURObservational Research Programme Department, European Society of Cardiology, Sophia Antipolis, France.
Aldo P
AP
Maggioni
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000925:Anticoagulants; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
Atrial fibrillation; Bleeding; Oral anticoagulation; Stroke