National survey of patients with AF in the acute medical unit: a day in the life survey
Dear Sirs,
The first national survey examining the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) within acute medical units up and down the country has just been published in the British Journal of Cardiology.1 Essentially it seems to show that secondary care is just as bad as primary care in initiating warfarin for AF patients. This group of patients is five times more likely to have a thromboembolic cerebrovascular accident than matched populations in sinus rhythm and yet doctors are ineffective at influencing change. This study took place over a 24-hour period
