Abstract:
Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation have substantial risk of stroke, modified by presence or absence of several risk factor. The risk of atrial fibrillation increases after age 60 with its' highest rate at age 75 years. The current guideline leaves a wide range of variability to which dose of aspirin is appropriate and effective in low risk patients. Our retrospective study endeavors to answer the question as to which dosage of aspirin, 81mg or 325mg, is effective therapy for low risk AF patients. Methods: Our group performed a retrospective chart review of clinical records in 122 patients with a mean age of 75. Data from each patient was placed into risk category using CHADS2 score. The study utilized descriptive statistics such as mean, medians, ranges, and standard deviations for continuous variables, and percentages for categorical variables. Results: It appears from the data there is a 14% risk reduction in stroke events in the patients with 81mg verses the 325mg in patient with a mean age of 75. Conclusions: The results were not statistically significant but the raw data did show that a larger group of patients receiving aspirin therapy at the 81mg level did indeed have better outcomes than those at 325mg.
Keywords:
Aspirin, Stroke, Arrhythmia, Fibrillation, Atrial