New Major European Atrial Fibrillation Consensus Guidance Published

New European consensus guidance, with endorsement from international societies, was issued this month on the management of antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome and/or undergoing percutaneous cardiovascular interventions.  This key work in atrial fibrillation was chaired by our new Price-Evans Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Professor Gregory Lip.

Professor Lip was appointed earlier in the year by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital as part of the new initiative to establish an internationally-leading Centre for Cardiovascular Science in the Merseyside region.  Professor Lip is a clinical researcher with a major interest into atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, and leads to a high risk of stroke and death. He is ranked as the world’s leading AF expert by Expertscape and has previously featured in the Thomson Reuters’ Science Watch list of ‘World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’ as a highly cited researcher.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest heart rhythm problem, and such patients are at high risk of stroke. Oral anticoagulation is needed to reduce this risk.  In patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or those undergoing coronary stenting, the need is for antiplatelet drugs to reduce recurrent cardiac ischaemia or stent thrombosis.  The combination of oral anticoagulation and antiplatelets confers a high risk of bleeding.  Hence, patients with AF presenting with an ACS or undergoing stenting represent a complex group of (very) high risk patients, and definitive guidance is needed on how best to manage such patients.

The Guidance has been published https://academic.oup.com/europace/advance-article/doi/10.1093/europace/euy174/5056658#120043621