Canadian Journal of Cardiology publishes new atrial fibrillation guidelines
The Canadian Journal of Cardiology has published a focused update to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s atrial fibrillation guidelines.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is a significant cause of stroke, illness in general, and death. It is, for example, the leading cause of stroke in the elderly. The past year has seen important changes in the drugs available to treat atrial fibrillation and in our understanding of their indications and complications. These changes will strongly affect how doctors treat this important condition. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society has accordingly updated its guidelines for drugs to prevent strokes and to control the heart rhythm, providing important new guidance to practicing doctors as to how to treat the condition, prevent potentially serious negative consequences, and avoid complications of therapy.
“These Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines provide the first detailed analysis of how the mass of recently obtained important information should be applied to change the ways that doctors handle this challenging clinical problem. They will have a significant impact on how the condition is treated worldwide,” comments Stanley Nattel, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
The paper is “Focused 2012 Update of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines: Recommendations for Stroke Prevention and Rate/Rhythm Control,” by Allan C. Skanes, MD, Jeff S. Healey, MD, MSc, John A. Cairns, MD, Paul Dorian, MD, Anne M. Gillis, MD, M. Sean McMurtry, MD, PhD, L. Brent Mitchell, MD, Atul Verma, MD, Stanley Nattel, MD, and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines Committee (DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2012.01.021). It appears in Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Volume 28, Issue 2 (March 2012), published by Elsevier.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia treated in clinical practice and is associated with substantial morbidity. Indeed, the lifetime risk of developing AF in individuals older than 40 years is 1 in 4. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) last published a set of recommendations on the diagnosis and management of AF in 2005.
Since then, major advances in the management of AF have occurred, including the results of clinical trials providing guidance on pharmacologic therapies for management of AF, antithrombotic therapies for prevention of systemic thromboembolism, the continuing evolution of catheter ablation for treatment of AF, and the development of a simple semiquantitative scale that closely approximates patient-reported subjective measures of quality of life in AF.
In 2009, the CCS convened a primary panel of experts to undertake a comprehensive review of current knowledge and management strategies in the field of AF and to develop an up-to-date evidence-based set of recommendations, easily available to primary care physicians, emergency room physicians, internists, and cardiologists, on the diagnosis and management of patients with AF. The guidelines are broadly applicable across a spectrum of practice environments. It is expected that optimized management of AF may improve quality of life and reduce rates of stroke and hospitalization for AF-related causes across all levels of care in a large population of patients.
About the Canadian Journal of Cardiology
The Canadian Journal of Cardiology (http://www.onlinecjc.ca) is the official journal of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. It is a vehicle for the international dissemination of new knowledge in cardiology and cardiovascular science, particularly serving as a major venue for the results of Canadian cardiovascular research and Society guidelines. The journal publishes original reports of clinical and basic research relevant to cardiovascular medicine as well as editorials, review articles, case reports, and papers on health outcomes, policy research, ethics, medical history, and political issues affecting practice.
About the Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief Stanley Nattel, MD, is Paul-David Chair in Cardiovascular Electrophysiology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal and Director of the Electrophysiology Research Program at the Montreal Heart Institute Research Center.
About the Canadian Cardiovascular Society
The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is the professional association for Canadian cardiovascular physicians and scientists working to promote cardiovascular health and care through knowledge translation, professional development, and leadership in health policy. The CCS provides programs and services to its 1900+ members and others in the cardiovascular community, including guidelines for cardiovascular care, the annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, and, with the Canadian Cardiovascular Academy, programs for trainees. More information about the CCS and its activities can be found at http://www.ccs.ca.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Mosby’s Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).
Media contact
Francesca Costanzo
Elsevier
+1 215 239 3249
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)