PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 695, p2 - 1 Feb 2014

NICE updates atrial fibrillationpractice guideline

NICE has published a draft of its updated guideline onthe management and diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF).

The updated guideline incorporates new evidence toaddress: the use of CHA2DS2-VASc to assess stroke riskin patients with varying AF presentations; the use of theHAS-BLED scoring system to assess the risk of bleedingin patients initiating or already receiving anticoagulants;offering rate control as first-line treatment in all patientswith AF; and offering ablation therapy for patients withpersistent or paroxysmal AF in whom drug treatmenthas failed or is unsuitable.

Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE,Professor Mark Baker, says "this updated draft guidelinereflects important new evidence about the best ways totreat the condition . . . we now look forward to hearingthe views of registered stakeholders in order to aid thedevelopment of this guideline update".NICE. Updated guideline to identify and treat common heart disorder. MediaRelease : 13 Jan 2014. Available from: URL: http://www.nice.org.uk 809158453

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 1 Feb 2014 No. 6951173-5503/14/0695-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2014 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved