We hope you will be able to join us for part two of our new two part webinar series titled
" Atrial Fibrillation Update 2012: Part 2- How recent trials will change how we treat this condition" which will be held on Wednesday June 6, 2012 from 12:00pm-1:00pm EDT.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia managed by physicians. Most patients with AF or atrial flutter (AFL) have poor quality of life due to the symptomatology of the disease making the management strategy a key component of symptoms improvement, reduction of hospitalizations and prevention of further complications, such as stroke. As medicine is a continually evolving science, in late 2011, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) reconvened its multidisciplinary panel to update evidence-based 2010 recommendations for the management of AF to review rate & rhythm management and stroke prevention. These 2 case-based webinars will discuss keypoints from the 2012 CCS Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines Focused Update, providing a practical patient-based approach to Atrial Fibrillation management.

At the end of this webinar, participants should be able to:

• Apply knowledge and decision making for optimal rate and rhythm management of patients with atrial fibrillation

• Apply knowledge and decision making for optimal stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation including:

  • prediction of stroke risk,

  • CHADS2 risk stratification

  • Bleeding risk

  • new OACs, including antidotes and evaluation of anticoagulant effects therapeutic recommendations in patients with CAD

  • renal dysfunction

• Integrate the Canadian evidence-based atrial fibrillation guidelines update 2012, recommendations and practical tips into clinical practice.

New drugs available to prevent strokes and control heart rhythm

Philadelphia, PA, March 20, 2012 – 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.

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