Journal of cardiovascular medicine
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J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) · Dec 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPost-cardioversion transesophageal echocardiography (POSTEC) strategy with the use of enoxaparin for brief anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients: the multicenter POSTEC trial (a pilot study).
In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), we sought to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a new transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)-guided strategy, aimed at selecting, 7 days post-cardioversion, those patients who are at low risk (i.e. who can terminate anticoagulation after a second TEE) and those at high risk (i.e. who have to continue it). ⋯ The pre/post-cardioversion TEE strategy with enoxaparin in AF may constitute a feasible and safe approach in selecting patients at low thromboembolic risk who can benefit from precocious termination of anticoagulation (7 days after cardioversion). It may be also useful to identify those patients in whom a life-lasting anticoagulation could be beneficial. A larger trial to confirm these findings is under way.