Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: Current Evidence for Tailoring Antithrombotic Therapy- Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice and afflicts more than 3 million people in the United States. AF is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke severity, recurrence, and mortality. Individuals with AF have a 4 to 5 times greater risk for ischemic stroke. The National Stroke Association emphasizes the importance of treatment to prevent stroke in patients with AF, noting that patients tend to experience worse outcomes from AF-related stroke compared with non-AF-related stroke. Although most AF-related strokes can be prevented with antithrombotic therapy, many patients with AF are not receiving optimal evidence-based care for stroke prevention. Patients with AF whose clinicians are not up to date with the current best practices for stroke prevention are at risk of experiencing suboptimal outcomes
Apply evidence-based scoring assessments to properly risk stratify patients with atrial fibrillation, considering stroke and bleeding risks.
Discuss key differences in the pharmacologic profiles of the new oral anticoagulants that may impact selection of a specific agent for an individual patient with atrial fibrillation.
Select the correct dosage for oral anticoagulant therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation and renal impairment.
Develop individualized guideline-based antithrombotic treatment regimens for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation.1.0 Free CEUs for Nurse Practitioners which includes 0.8 Free Hours of Pharmacology
Expires 12/18/17
