New analyses from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the Field – Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) will be presented at the XXV Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) (20–25 June, Toronto, Canada).
The two GARFIELD presentations will include real-life data on stroke prevention from nearly 17,200 patients, providing physicians with further information on how patient risk profiles and quality of vitamin K antagonist control are associated with increased mortality and stroke in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation.
The first study presented will cover risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation. For this study, the incidence of stroke/systemic embolism, death and major bleeding one year after a new diagnosis of non-valvular atrial fibrillation were analysed by patients’ baseline characteristics and antithrombotic therapy provided at diagnosis.
The second study analysed time in therapeutic range and optimal international normalised ratio (ie. INR range 2.0–3.0) in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation in relation to demographics, care settings and one-year outcomes.
The GARFIELD-AF Registry aims to enhance the breadth and depth of the understanding of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, and ultimately will help to develop strategies for improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Baseline data from GARFIELD-AF (now available for 31,666 patients) indicates that, currently, the management of many newly diagnosed patients is not consistent with evidence-based guidelines, with patients inappropriately receiving anticoagulants or being under-treated with anticoagulants, despite the increasing availability of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The impact of sub-optimal management strategies on outcomes demonstrated in the GARFIELD-AF presentations at ISTH suggests a cause for ongoing concern.
GARFIELD-AF is an independent academic research initiative, led by an international steering committee under the auspices of the Thrombosis Research Institute (TRI), London, UK. To date, GARFIELD-AF has recruited over 40,000 patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in 35 countries, making it one of the largest observational studies in this therapeutic area. With recruitment for Cohort 5 about to start, the Registry will eventually include up to 57,000 patients.
