Clinical and applied thrombosis/hemostasis : official journal of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis
-
Clin. Appl. Thromb. Hemost. · Jul 2017
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialAssessment of the Quality of Chronic Anticoagulation Control With Time in Therapeutic Range in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Treated With Vitamin K Antagonists by Hemostasis Specialists: The TERRA Registry: Tiempo en rango en la República Argentina.
Oral anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) such as warfarin and acenocoumarol is recommended in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and risk factors for embolism. The quality of anticoagulation control with VKA may be assessed by the time in therapeutic range (TTR). In our country, there are no data available about the quality of anticoagulation in patients with AF. The primary goal of our study was to assess the level of effective anticoagulation in a multicenter network of anticoagulation clinics in Argentina, which included patients with nonvalvular AF (NVAF) treated with VKA oral anticoagulants. ⋯ In this multicenter study, mean TTR values in patients with AF under VKA were similar to those in international therapeutic clinical trials (55%-65%). Marked variations among institutions were observed and, although average results obtained were high, one third of the patients exhibited a TTR below 60%. This cutoff value is conservative according to current recommendations, and guidelines suggest that when management with VKA cannot be improved, patients should be switched to direct oral anticoagulants. The addition of TTR calculation to clinical practice may help improve the quality of oral anticoagulation in patients with AF, thus improving anticoagulation outcomes.