Can we safeguard coronaries from micro calcification?
As Weijs et al.[1] have described, most patients diagnosed with paroxysmal atrium fibrillation (AF) are currently treated by prescribing life-long
use of vtamin K antagonists (VKAs) to prevent thrombo-embolic complications.[2] By applying minimal invasive multislice computed tomography (MSCT)
imaging, the authors found a possible adverse treatment
effect in patients who were receiving VKAs for
relatively longer, showing significant higher levels of calcium in their
coronary
arteries compared with patients with a shorter time
on VKAs. This could have serious consequences for current clinical
practice.[2]
1. Weijs B, Blaauw Y, Rennenberg RJMW, Schurgers LJ et al. Patients using vitamin K antagonists show increased levels of coronary calcification: an observational study in low-risk atrial
fibrillation patients. Eur Heart J 2011;32:2555-2562. First published on 20 July 2011. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehr226.
2. Fuster V, Ryden LE,Cannom DS,Crijns HJ et al.. ACC/AHA/ESC
2006 guidelines for the management of patients with atrial
fibrillation—executive summary: a report of the American
College of Cardiology/American Heart
Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the European Society
of Cardiology
Committee for Practice Guidelines
(Writing Committee to Revise the 2001 Guidelines for the Management of
Patients with Atrial
Fibrillation). Eur Heart J 2006;27:1979-2030.
