Fact-finding survey of antithrombotic treatment for prevention of cerebral and systemic thromboembolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation in 9 countries of the Asia-Pacific region

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been gaining much attention as one of the major causes of cerebral infarction. It is imperative to establish antithrombotic treatment for AF patients. Thus far, guidelines for antithrombotic treatment in the management of AF patients, including the verification of the efficacy of direct thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors, have been published from the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan. When we look at the Asia-Pacific region, antithrombotic treatment has not yet been defined, and no such guidelines have been published in this regard. The Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) conducted a Web-based survey between June and August 2011, to elucidate the current status of antithrombotic treatment in 9 countries.A total of 363 cardiologists in 9 countries examined 300 patients with cardiovascular disease per month on an average; of these patients, 37 (12%) had nonvalvular AF (NVAF; 6.5% in India to 16.9% in Australia).The survey revealed that NVAF patients were not always administered appropriate antithrombotic treatment. These data give us a foothold for the next step, i.e., the formulation, of the APHRS practice guidelines.