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. 2020 Jan 28;70(695):e427–e433. doi: 10.3399/bjgp20X708161

Table 2.

CHA2DS2-VASc score and initiated anticoagulant treatment in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation

Variable Intervention arm Control arm

Screen-detected AF, N= 28 Regularly detected AF, N= 95 Regularly detected AF, N= 117
Mean CHA2DS2-VASc scorea (SD) 3.6 (1.6) 4.0 (1.5) 3.9 (1.5)
CHA2DS2-VASc score 1, n (%) 3 (10.7) 6 (6.3) 3 (2.6)
Female, n (%) 15 (53.6) 51 (53.7) 71 (60.7)
CHA2DS2-VASc score 2 in females, n (%) 0 (0.0) 4 (7.8) 8 (11.3)

Initiation of anticoagulant treatment,bn (%)
  VKA 18 (64.3) 45 (47.4) 68 (58.1)
  NOAC 5 (17.9) 41 (43.2) 34 (29.1)
  Antiplatelet 0 (0.0) 1 (1.1) 4c (3.4)

Details about anticoagulant treatment, n (%)
  According to guidelinesd 26 (92.9) 89 (93.7) 106 (90.6)
  Intended deviation from guidelinese 1 (3.6) 4 (4.2) 5 (4.3)
  Unintended deviation from guidelinesf 1 (3.6) 2 (2.1) 6 (5.1)
a

CHA2DS2-VASc = Congestive heart failure (1 point); Hypertension (1 point); Age >75 years (2 points); Diabetes mellitus (1 point); Stroke including ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (2 points); Vascular disease including myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary intervention, peripheral artery disease, arterial, or venous thrombosis (1 point); Age 65–75 years (1 point).

b

Initiation of oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment: some patients used OAC before diagnoses for mechanical heart valve or venous thromboembolism (VTE) (either lifelong prescription due to multiple VTE or temporary for recent first VTE); this was 2 for AF detection by screening, 4 for detection in usual care of intervention arm, and 4 for detection in control arm.

c

Including two cases in whom either fragmin or clopidogrel was initiated.

d

Treatment according to the Dutch College of General Practitioners guideline for patients treated in primary care and the European Society of Cardiologists guideline for patients treated in hospital.6,7

e

Documented reason for deviation.

f

No documented reason for deviation from guidelines. AF = atrial fibrillation. NOAC = novel oral anticoagulants. SD = standard deviation. VKA = vitamin K antagonists.