Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Cardiology Service, Hospital , Medical Staff, Hospital , Occupational Exposure/prevention & control , Africa , Age Factors , COVID-19/transmission , Humans , Occupational Exposure/adverse effects , Patient Safety , Retirement , Risk Assessment , Risk FactorsSubject(s)
Anticoagulants/adverse effects , Coronary Restenosis/diagnostic imaging , Medication Adherence , Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects , Warfarin/adverse effects , Coronary Restenosis/etiology , Humans , Hypertension, Pulmonary/complications , Hypertension, Pulmonary/diagnosis , Hypertension, Pulmonary/physiopathologySubject(s)
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation , Heart Massage , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/therapy , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/standards , Heart Massage/standards , Humans , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/diagnosis , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/mortality , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Treatment OutcomeSubject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects , Arrhythmias, Cardiac/chemically induced , Atrial Fibrillation/etiology , Cardiac Surgical Procedures/adverse effects , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/complications , Pericardial Effusion/diagnosis , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/etiology , Antitubercular Agents/therapeutic use , Arrhythmias, Cardiac/diagnosis , Arrhythmias, Cardiac/physiopathology , Atrial Fibrillation/diagnosis , Diagnostic Errors/prevention & control , Electrocardiography , Erythromycin/adverse effects , Humans , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnosis , Pericardial Effusion/etiology , Predictive Value of Tests , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , Tuberculosis/complications , Tuberculosis/drug therapy , Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/diagnosisSubject(s)
Cardiovascular Diseases/surgery , HIV Infections/diagnosis , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Metabolic Syndrome/diagnosis , Africa , Cardiovascular Diseases/complications , Cardiovascular Diseases/diagnosis , Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures , HIV Infections/complications , Humans , Metabolic Syndrome/complications , Patient Education as TopicABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently occurring cardiac arrhythmia with often serious clinical consequences. Many patients have contraindications to anticoagulation, and it is often underused in clinical practice. The addition of clopidogrel to aspirin (ASA) has been shown to reduce vascular events in a number of high-risk populations. Irbesartan is an angiotensin receptor-blocking agent that reduces blood pressure and has other vascular protective effects. METHODS AND RESULTS: ACTIVE W is a noninferiority trial of clopidogrel plus ASA versus oral anticoagulation in patients with AF and at least 1 risk factor for stroke. ACTIVE A is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of clopidogrel in patients with AF and with at least 1 risk factor for stroke who receive ASA because they have a contraindication for oral anticoagulation or because they are unwilling to take an oral anticoagulant. ACTIVE I is a partial factorial, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of irbesartan in patients participating in ACTIVE A or ACTIVE W. The primary outcomes of these studies are composites of vascular events. A total of 14000 patients will be enrolled in these trials. CONCLUSIONS: ACTIVE is the largest trial yet conducted in AF. Its results will lead to a new understanding of the role of combined antiplatelet therapy and the role of blood pressure lowering with an angiotensin II receptor blocker in patients with AF.