Atrial fibrillation

‘Don’t wait to anticoagulate’ project

I was interested to read the news story ‘Many atrial fibrillation patients at risk of stroke treated with aspirin over anticoagulants’ ( The Pharmaceutical Journal online, 24 June 2016), which outlines the finding that significant numbers of patients with atrial fib…

Meet the regional finalists of I Love My Pharmacist: Northern England

The public has until 21 July 2016 to vote for their favourite regional finalist of the 2016 I Love My Pharmacist Award. The pharmacist with the highest number of votes in each region will then meet with the judging panel who will decide the 2016 champion.…

Well-managed warfarin still useful for stroke prevention

A study of 40,000 patients with atrial fibrillation suggests that warfarin is a valid treatment for stroke prevention.…

Statins improve outcomes of heart surgery

Use of atorvastatin and simvastatin is associated with improved post-operative outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.…

Anticoagulant antidote idarucizumab gets European regulator’s initial approval

Idarucizumab (Praxbind), a unique drug that can neutralise the effect of anticoagulant dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa), has been recommended for marketing authorisation by the European medicines safety watchdog.…

Rapid uptake of new oral anticoagulants in the United States

More patients with atrial fibrillation are being protected against blood clots after the introduction of new direct oral anticoagulant drugs.…

Meta-analysis confirms patients treated with digoxin are at increased risk of death

Patients taking the heart failure drug digoxin are at an increased risk of death, according to the largest meta-analysis of its kind, published in the European Heart Journal.…

EMA recommends edoxaban for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation

The European Medicines Agency is recommending that edoxaban be made available for the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation and the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism.…

Stroke campaigns focus on helping patients reduce risks

Community pharmacists in Wales are warning patients that high blood pressure, irregular heart beat or atrial fibrillation can increase their risk of stroke.…