Temporary interruption of oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation occurs often and is associated with substantially increased risk of both cardioembolic events and all-cause mortality, according to a new prespecified secondary analysis of the ENGAGE-AF TIMI 48 trial.
The analysis showed that many of these treatment interruptions occur in response to nonserious adverse events such as minor bleeding, planned dental procedures, or simply because of patient wishes. The new ENGAGE-AF TIMI 48 findings may encourage physicians and patients to think twice before interrupting anticoagulant therapy for such reasons. More on the findings of this analysis can be found at Cardiology News : http://www.mdedge.com/ecardiologynews/article/116905/arrhythmias-ep/interrupting-oral-anticoagulation-af-carries-high.