Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines

CE / CME

Charting a Course for Success: Navigating New Guidelines in Atrial Fibrillation Management and Treatment

Physician Assistants/Physician Associates: 1.00 AAPA Category 1 CME credit

Nurses: 1.00 Nursing contact hour

Pharmacists: 1.00 contact hour (0.1 CEUs)

Physicians: maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit

Released: June 26, 2024

Expiration: June 25, 2025

Christopher B. Granger
Christopher B. Granger, MD

Activity

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Course Completed

Introduction

In this module, Christopher Granger, MD reviews the 2023 comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for management of atrial fibrillation, a collaborative update by the ACC, AHA, ACCP, and HRS, which include many updated recommendations that will improve the care of your patients with atrial fibrillation.

Throughout the module, you can listen to brief audio clips highlighting important faculty insights. In addition, the key points discussed in this module are illustrated with thumbnails from the accompanying downloadable PowerPoint slideset, which can be found here or downloaded by clicking any of the slide thumbnails in the module alongside the expert commentary.

Clinical Care Options plans to measure the educational impact of this activity. Some questions will be asked twice: once at the beginning of the activity and then once again after the discussion that informs the best choice. Your responses will be aggregated for analysis, and your specific responses will not be shared.

How many patients with atrial fibrillation do you provide care for in a typical week?

An 85-year-old male patient with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation presents for his routine international normalized ratio (INR) visit. He has been in therapeutic range 49% of the time over the past 8 months. He has a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 5, a creatinine clearance of 63 mL/min, and no recent history of significant bleeding and reports falling 1-2 times per month. He lives with his daughter and her family.

Which of the following is the best plan for adjusting his anticoagulation regimen today?

An 81-year-old woman presents with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Her weight is 48 kg. She has a bioprosthetic aortic valve. Her serum creatinine is 1.0 mg/dL (creatinine clearance: 30 mL/min). She has a history of falls approximately once every 2 months. Her medications include apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily for anticoagulation and naproxen for arthritis in her knees. She drinks 2 glasses of wine and 2 cups of coffee each day.

What should be done given her frailty?