A new study is suggesting that older AF and coronary artery disease (CAD) patients may be more likely to suffer from strokes and major bleeding while going through antithrombotic therapy. This has caused the researchers to recommend treating these patients with a balance of aspirin, Clopidogrel and Warfarin.

Researchers from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease have been able to discover that AF patients aged 65 and older who are suffering from CAD are more likely to suffer from strokes and bleeding while undergoing antithrombotic combination drug therapy. For the study, researchers analyzed data collected from 2,122 patients aged 65 and older that had AF and CAD. Of those patients, 477 of them were 80 years old or older, and 1,133 suffered from acute coronary disorders. What the researchers found was that the overall rates of a combination of aspirin, Clopidogrel and Warfarin use were 83.4 percent, 34.6 percent and 38.9 percent as a treatment for the older patients in comparison to the younger ones, and that the older patients were at a higher stroke and bleeding risk than the younger patients (65 -80).

Warfarin is used as a treatment for many AF patients, particularly those with higher CHADS 2 scores. Warfarin use is less common for patients with higher ATRIA scores. Among older patients with AF and CAD, however, Warfarin isn’t used as much. Warfarin is one of the most popular anticoagulant medications on the market in stroke prevention for AF patients, but it is not necessarily safe. Alternative anticoagulant medications like Multaq have proven to be more dangerous than the condition the drug treats. Multaq is likely to be removed from the shelves now that the drug has been linked to deadly side effects like liver failure, worsening of the heart condition, lung disease and pulmonary toxicity.

If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure, a worsening of the heart condition, lung disease or pulmonary toxicity after taking Multaq, contact attorney Greg Jones for a free consultation today. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.