[What physicians think and know about antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation]

We conducted an anonymous survey among 382 physicians (58% internists, 42% cardiologists) in order to obtain information on their opinion on various aspects of antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation. The survey revealed low level of awareness about algorithms of stratification of risks of stroke, systemic embolism, and bleeding. Reported rates of clinical use of recommended antithrombotic agents were: warfarin--30, aspirin monotherapy--19, dabigatran--10, rivaroxaban--8, and combination of aspirin and clopidogrel--8%. Rate of use of drugs without sufficient evidence base in AF was 25%. When asked to designate antithrombotic drug of choice 85% of physicians indicated warfarin and 12%--novel anticoagulants (NOAC). The following factors were considered as limiting wide application of NOAC: high cost (59%), lack of data on these drugs (14%), and impossibility to control safety of their administration (9%).