New ESC guidelines and data on dabigatran: focus on 2010 ESC Congress.

摘要

In a major symposium on atrial fibrillation (AF), Prof John Camm, head of the Department of Cardiac and Vascular Sciences at St Georges, University of London, pointed out that atrial fibrillation cases are set to double as populations age. 'One in four adults 40 years of age will develop atrial fibrillation in their lifetime. The consequences are tragic and devastating, with a five-fold increase in the risk of having a stroke', he said. Stroke is also more likely to be severe and fatal in these patients; those who survive face persistent neurological deficits, persistent disability and poorer functional performance. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has now issued revised practice guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation, including guidance on the role of a novel oral treatment, dabigatran etexilate, for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation.