The Canadian journal of cardiology
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Practice Guideline Comparative Study
Canadian Cardiovascular Society atrial fibrillation guidelines 2010: prevention of stroke and systemic thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation and flutter.
The stroke rate in atrial fibrillation is 4.5% per year, with death or permanent disability in over half. The risk of stroke varies from under 1% to over 20% per year, related to the risk factors of congestive heart failure, hypertension, age, diabetes, and prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Major bleeding with vitamin K antagonists varies from about 1% to over 12% per year and is related to a number of risk factors. ⋯ We recommend that all patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, whether paroxysmal, persistent, or permanent, should be stratified for the risk of stroke and for the risk of bleeding and that most should receive antithrombotic therapy. We make detailed recommendations as to the preferred agents in various types of patients and for the management of antithrombotic therapies in the common clinical settings of cardioversion, concomitant coronary artery disease, surgical or diagnostic procedures with a risk of major bleeding, and the occurrence of stroke or major bleeding. Alternatives to antithrombotic therapies are briefly discussed.
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Practice Guideline
Canadian Cardiovascular Society atrial fibrillation guidelines 2010: prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery.
Postoperative atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (POAF) are the most common complications of cardiac surgery that require intervention or prolong intensive care unit and total hospital stay. For some patients, these tachyarrhythmias have important consequences including patient discomfort/anxiety, hemodynamic deterioration, cognitive impairment, thromboembolic events including stroke, exposure to the risks of antiarrhythmic treatments, longer hospital stay, and increased health care costs. We conclude that prevention of POAF is a worthwhile exercise and recommend that the dominant therapy for this purpose be β-blocker therapy, especially the continuation of β-blocker therapy that is already in place. ⋯ The treatment of POAF may follow either a rate-control approach (with the dominant therapy being β-blocking drugs) or a rhythm-control approach. Anticoagulation should be considered if persistent POAF lasts >72 hours and at the point of hospital discharge. The ongoing need for any POAF treatment (including anticoagulation) should be reconsidered 6-12 weeks after the surgical procedure.
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Practice Guideline
Canadian Cardiovascular Society atrial fibrillation guidelines 2010: catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter.
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) offers a promising treatment for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients for whom a rhythm control strategy is desired. While the precise mechanisms of AF are incompletely understood, there is substantial evidence that in many cases (particularly for paroxysmal AF), ectopic activity most commonly located in and around the pulmonary veins of the left atrium plays a central role in triggering and/or maintaining arrhythmic episodes. Catheter ablation involves electrically disconnecting the pulmonary veins from the rest of the left atrium to prevent AF from being triggered. ⋯ Thus, ablation should primarily be used as a second-line therapy after failure of antiarrhythmic drugs. In contrast to AF, catheter ablation of atrial flutter has a higher success rate with a smaller incidence of complications. Thus, catheter ablation for atrial flutter may be considered a first-line alternative to antiarrhythmic drugs.
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This article describes the process of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society 2010 atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines update. Guideline development was based on the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system of evaluation. ⋯ Disclosures of relationships with industry or other potential conflicts of interest were reported at the outset and annually. Each recommendation was approved by at least a two-thirds majority of the voting panel (those with a significant conflict recusing themselves from voting on those specific recommendations).
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Comparative Study
The accuracy of the physical examination for the detection of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a major risk factor for adverse cardiovascular events. There has been a definite push for wider use of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) as a simple screening tool for PAD. Perhaps this has occurred to the detriment of a thorough physical examination. ⋯ The clinical examination of the peripheral arterial foot pulses and the auscultation for a femoral bruit had a high degree of accuracy (93.8%) for the detection or exclusion of PAD compared with the ABI using the cut-off of 0.90 or lower. If both peripheral foot pulses are present in both lower limbs and there are no femoral bruits, the specificity and NPV of 98.3% and 94.9%, respectively, make the measurement of the ABI seem redundant. The emphasis in PAD detection should be redirected toward encouraging a thorough physical examination.