The Academy of Medicine of New Jersey designates this activity for a maximum of 1 hour in category 1 credit towards tha AMA Physician's Recongnition Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

Stroke causes approximately 143,000 deaths in the United States annually. Over 15% of all strokes are believed to be associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), and the risk of stroke in persons with AF is five times the rate in a similar population without AF. Appropriate anticoagulation of persons with AF has been shown to markedly decrease the risk of stroke.

This presentation stresses the importance of current guidelines regarding the use of anticoagulation in patients with AF and focuses on patient management. It is designed for primary care/general practice physicians, internists, cardiologists, nurses and laboratory personnel involved in the management of patients receiving anticoagulation, as well as other health care providers interested in learning more about stroke prevention.

Upon completion of this presentation, you should be able to:

• Identify the procedure for diagnosis of atrial fibrillation;
• Describe the risk of thromboembolic complications associated in different patient populations with atrial fibrillation;
• Evaluate the appropriate role of anticoagulant therapy in reducing the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and:
• Recall guidelines for initiation and maintenance of anticoagulation therapy in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation

Dr. Faillace has no financial disclosure to report.