This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Antithrombotic prophylaxis in paroxysmal AF

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Stroke risk

  • use the CHA2DS2-VASc stroke risk score to assess stroke risk in people with any of the following:
    • symptomatic or asymptomatic paroxysmal, persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation
    • atrial flutter
    • a continuing risk of arrhythmia recurrence after cardioversion back to sinus rhythm

Interventions to prevent stroke

  • do not offer stroke prevention therapy to people aged under 65 years with atrial fibrillation and no risk factors other than their sex (that is, very low risk of stroke equating to a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 0 for men or 1 for women)

Bleeding risk (1)

  • assess the risk of bleeding when:
    • considering starting anticoagulation in people with atrial fibrillation and
    • reviewing people already taking anticoagulation
  • use the ORBIT bleeding risk score to assess bleeding risk
  • offer monitoring and support to modify risk factors for bleeding, including:
    • uncontrolled hypertension
    • poor control of international normalised ratio (INR) in patients on vitamin K antagonists
    • Concurrent medication, including antiplatelets, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
    • harmful alcohol consumption
    • reversible causes of anaemia

Anticoagulation in chronic atrial fibrillation (1)

  • anticoagulation may be with apixaban, dabigatran etexilate, rivaroxaban or a vitamin K antagonist

    • consider anticoagulation for men a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1. Take the bleeding risk into account
      • apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban are all recommended as options

    • offer anticoagulation to people with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 or above, taking bleeding risk into account
      • apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban are all recommended as options

    • if direct-acting oral anticoagulants are contraindicated, not tolerated or not suitable in people with atrial fibrillation, offer a vitamin K antagonist (4)

    • do not offer stroke prevention therapy to people aged under 65 years with atrial fibrillation and no risk factors other than their sex (that is, very low risk of stroke equating to a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 0 for men or 1 for women)

    • do not withhold anticoagulation solely because of a person's age or their risk of falls

Antiplatelets

  • do not offer aspirin monotherapy solely for stroke prevention to people with atrial fibrillation

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.