Atrial fibrillation in the elderly: anticoagulation strategies and indications in the very elderly.

With increasing life expectancy and the older mean age of the general population, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation is likely to increase, making this arrhythmia an even more important public health problem, especially in the elderly. While atrial fibrillation is increasingly common in the elderly, paradoxically, the data on intervention trials in atrial fibrillation among the elderly are limited. When considering anticoagulation in the elderly patient with atrial fibrillation, the following five questions should be addressed. 1) Is there a definite indication (for example, atrial fibrillation plus risk factor[s])? 2) Is there a high risk of bleeding or strong contraindication against anticoagulation? 3) Will concurrent medication or disease states significantly increase bleeding risk or interfere with anticoagulation control? 4) Is drug compliance and attendance at anticoagulant clinic for monitoring likely to be a problem? 5) Will there be regular review of the patient, especially with regard to risks and benefits of anticoagulation? Careful and continuing evaluation of the elderly patient with atrial fibrillation is necessary to ensure that the risks of bleeding do not outweigh the benefits from anticoagulation. Copyright 2002 CVRR, Inc.