From the Guidelines
Atrial fibrillation patients should prioritize understanding their condition, managing comorbidities, preventing stroke, controlling symptoms, and making lifestyle modifications to improve their quality of life and reduce morbidity and mortality. The top 5 facts patients should know about atrial fibrillation are:
- Atrial fibrillation involves irregular and often rapid heart rhythms caused by chaotic electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart, which can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other complications if left untreated 1.
- Symptoms vary widely, and some patients may have no symptoms at all, making regular check-ups essential even when feeling fine, and a patient-centred, shared decision-making approach is crucial for effective management 1.
- Stroke prevention is a critical aspect of treatment, typically involving anticoagulant medications like apixaban, rivaroxaban, or dabigatran, which must be taken exactly as prescribed without missing doses, and the choice of anticoagulant should be based on the patient's individual risk of thromboembolism 1.
- Treatment approaches include rate control medications, rhythm control medications, and procedures like cardioversion, catheter ablation, or pacemaker implantation in certain cases, and the primary indication for long-term rhythm control should be reduction in AF-related symptoms and improvement in quality of life 1.
- Lifestyle modifications play an important role in managing atrial fibrillation, including limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, treating sleep apnea if present, managing stress, and controlling other conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes that can worsen atrial fibrillation, and patient empowerment is critical to achieve better outcomes and encourage adherence to treatment plans 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
People with atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heart beat) that is not caused by a heart valve problem (non-valvular) are at an increased risk of forming a blood clot in the heart, which can travel to the brain, causing a stroke, or to other parts of the body. XARELTO lowers your chance of having a stroke by helping to prevent clots from forming If you stop taking XARELTO, you may have increased risk of forming a clot in your blood. XARELTO can cause bleeding which can be serious and may lead to death.
The top 5 facts patients should know about atrial fibrillation are:
- Atrial Fibrillation Increases Stroke Risk: Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of forming a blood clot in the heart, which can travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
- Medications Can Help Prevent Strokes: Medications like apixaban and rivaroxaban can help lower the chance of having a stroke by preventing clots from forming.
- Stopping Medication Increases Stroke Risk: Stopping medication like XARELTO increases the risk of forming a clot in the blood and having a stroke.
- Bleeding is a Serious Side Effect: Medications like XARELTO can cause bleeding, which can be serious and may lead to death.
- Regular Monitoring is Necessary: Patients with atrial fibrillation should be regularly monitored by their doctor to prevent strokes and other complications 2 3.
From the Research
Top 5 Facts About Atrial Fibrillation
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a major cause of stroke, heart failure, sudden death, and cardiovascular morbidity 4.
- Patients with atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of thromboembolic stroke, and oral anticoagulation is effective in preventing strokes secondary to AF, reducing overall stroke numbers by approximately 64% 4.
- Educating patients about atrial fibrillation and how to manage it is important for promoting positive outcomes, as patients who believe they have a good understanding of AF report fewer symptoms and perceive greater control over AF 5.
- The comparative effectiveness of rivaroxaban and apixaban, two commonly prescribed oral anticoagulants for ischemic stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation, has been studied, with apixaban being associated with a lower risk of major ischemic or hemorrhagic events in some studies 6, 7, 8.
- Apixaban has been shown to have a lower rate of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism and bleeding compared to rivaroxaban in patients with atrial fibrillation, with an absolute reduction in the probability of stroke or systemic embolism and bleeding events 7, 8.