Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing health concern with a prevalence that is expected to increase over the next several decades. An important potential complication of AF is stroke and systemic embolism, which tend to cause greater morbidity and mortality than stroke not related to AF. Therefore, it is important that patients with AF who are at risk of having a stroke receive preventive treatment, which is best achieved by anticoagulation. Warfarin has been the oral anticoagulant (OAC) of choice for over 50 years; however, 3 target-specific OACs have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration over the past 5 years and more are in the pipeline, providing much-needed options in anticoagulation. Despite the importance of stroke prevention in this at-risk population and the introduction of new agents, anticoagulation remains underused. In addition, although the target-specific OACs may have benefits over warfarin, many clinicians are not familiar with the subtle differences among the various agents and how to determine which agent is best for an individual patient. Healthcare providers who manage patients with AF who are at risk for stroke need a multidisciplinary overview of stroke prevention in AF, including an overview of how to identify patients who are at risk for stroke and should receive anticoagulation, evaluating the data that indicate the best use of the target-specific OACs, and safety considerations to ensure the most optimal, evidence-based application of these agents.

Upon proper completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

This activity has been designed to address the educational needs of clinicians specializing in cardiology, neurology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, family medicine, hospital medicine, and allied health professionals who manage patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke.

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Physician Accreditation Statement

Disclosure of Commercial Support

This activity is supported by educational grants from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.