Tag Archives: EHRA

New practical NOACs guide A new version of EHRA Practical Guide on the use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) was launched at the congress. ESC guidelines state that NOACs should be preferred over vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, for stroke prevention in AF patients, except those with a mechanical heart valve or rheumatic mitral valve stenosis, and their use in clinical practice is increasing. The guide gives concrete, practical advice on how to use NOACs in specific clinical situations. The guide is published in European Heart Journal (doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy136). Anti

Editors: Burri H, Deharo J-C, Israel C Publisher: Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-19-872777-4 Price: £59.99 This case-based study guide for implantable device troubleshooting is composed of 70 ‘real-life’ cases involving pacemakers, implantable cardio-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) devices. It is aimed at all physicians and physiologists involved in the management of patients with implantable devices, and is the first in a series of specialist ‘handbooks’ produced by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA). As such it particularly geared towards those sitting the EHRA affilia

A website for AF patients AFib Matters (www.afibmatters.org) was introduced by the EHRA at the meeting. The site outlines what AF is, symptoms, complications, types of drugs, and the need for stroke prevention. A section is devoted to frequently asked questions. Professor Gregory YH Lip, who was Chairman of the Task Force responsible for the development of the website, said: “Patients with AF often have questions or misconceptions about their condition, such as whether they can travel, should they avoid certain foods, what can interact with their medication, and what is the risk of treatments. All of these questions are answered on the webs

The guide, which has been published online in the European Heart Journal and Europace, covers four new oral anticoagulants: dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban (which are all now on the market for AF), and edoxaban, which is included provisionally, as it is not yet approved. The guide notes that: “Both physicians and patients will have to learn how to use these drugs effectively and safely in clinical practice,” and “Many unresolved questions on how to optimally use these drugs in specific clinical situations remain”. It sets out 15 clinical scenarios and gives “as practical answers as possible” for each one. The topics are: Pra

SAPIEN valve positive results Clinicians have achieved successful one-year outcomes in high-risk or inoperable patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement during the first two years since release of the valve (Sapien®, Edwards) commercially, according to results presented at the Euro PCR 2001 meeting in Paris, France. Despite high predicted mortality and multiple co-morbidities in many of these patients, survival at one year was 76% in the 1,038 patients treated as part of Cohort I (first year of commercialisation), and 77% in the 1,269 patients treated as part of Cohort II (second year of commercialisation).  Since November