'Management of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains lamentable with far too many people having strokes because they have not been adequately treated either to get them back into a normal rhythm or to anticoagulate them,' Professor Tony Rudd, chair of the Intercollegiate Working Party for Stroke said today.
Commenting on the updated NICE guidance for atrial fibrillation, Professor Rudd continued:
We welcome the new AF guidelines. The clear statement that treatment with a single antiplatelet drug is of no value and that the vast majority of patients should receive an anticoagulant is very much welcomed and brings the NICE guidance into line with the recommendations made in National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke, published in 2012. We hope that the publication of the NICE guidance raises awareness of the problem with clinicians, patients and carers and results in better care. If all appropriate patients were treated correctly over 7,000 strokes a year could be prevented and 2,100 lives saved (Atrial Fibrillation All Party Parliamentary report, 2013).
To access the guidance please visit the NICE website.
For more information, please contact Hannah Bristow, Clinical Standards communications officer, on +44 (0)20 3075 1447 / 07584 303 784, or email Hannah.Bristow@rcplondon.ac.uk