DALLAS, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The newly
approved drug dabigatran is an alternative to warfarin to help
prevent dangerous blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation,
according to updated guidelines from the American College of
Cardiology, American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm
Society.

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The “Focused Update” — published in Circulation:
Journal of the American Heart Association, Journal of the American
College of Cardiology and HeartRhythm Journal —
specifically updates the section on emerging antithrombotic agents
in atrial fibrillation treatment guidelines released by the three
organizations on Dec. 20, 2010.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that occurs
when the heart’s two upper chambers beat erratically, causing the
chambers to pump blood rapidly, unevenly and inefficiently. Blood
can pool and clot in the chambers, increasing the risk of stroke or
heart attack. More than two million Americans live with the
condition.

According to this most recent update, dabigatran is useful as an
alternative to warfarin to prevent stroke and blood clots in
patients with either paroxysmal (recurrent episodes that stop after
seven days) or permanent (an on-going episode) atrial fibrillation,
and with risk factors for stroke or blood clotting who do not have
a prosthetic heart valve, significant heart valve disease, severe
renal failure or advanced liver disease.

Warfarin, an anti-clotting drug used since the 1950s, requires
patients to have regular testing to monitor its effectiveness and
dosage adjustment.

In December 2010 the atrial fibrillation guidelines were updated
and recommended that a combination of aspirin and the oral
antiplatelet drug clopidogrel might be considered to prevent stroke
or other types of blood clots in pati

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