Clinical trial NCT02273609: INR Control and Atrial Fibrillation in Primary Care in Spain (PAULA)
Official title: English: Current Perspective of the Status of Anticoagulation in Clinical Practice in Primare Care. Spanish: Perspectiva Actual de la sitUación de la anticoaguLación en la práctica clínica de Atención Primaria.
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation
Anticoagulation
Vitamin K antagonists
INR control
Lead sponsor: Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Bayer
First posted: 2014-10-24
Enrollment: 1524
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Patients aged ≥18 years old, with nonvalvular AF, treated with VKAs for at least one year in primary care setting were included in the study.

Brief summary: The primary objective of this study was to determine rates of INR control of patients with nonvalvular AF daily attended in primary care in Spain.

PAULA is an observational retrospective/cross-sectional and multicenter study. Patients aged ≥18 years old, with nonvalvular AF, treated with VKAs for at least one year in primary care were included in the study. To be included, at least 80% of INR values during the past 12 months should be available. Before inclusion, patients provided written consent.

Clinical data (biodemographic data, comorbidities, treatments, and thromboembolic/bleeding risk) were recorded from the clinical history of patients at the moment of inclusion. INR values were taken from the previous 12 months of inclusion.

Poor INR control was considered when percent time in therapeutic INR range (TTR) was \<65% (calculated by Rosendaal method) or \<60% by direct method (proportion of INR values).

A total of 1,524 patients have been included in the study.

Detailed description: Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) have traditionally been used for long-term prevention of thromboembolic complications in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Because of the variability in the dose response with VKAs and the narrow therapeutic window, monitoring the degree of anticoagulation is mandatory. The international normalized ratio (INR) provides a standardized measure of the VKA anticoagulant effect. The INR should be kept within a narrow range (therapeutic INR target 2.0-3.0) to control the intensity of anticoagulation.

The primary objective of this study was to determine rates of INR control of patients with nonvalvular AF daily attended in primary care in Spain.

PAULA is an observational retrospective/cross-sectional and multicenter study supported by the three main Spanish primary care scientific societies: Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN), Sociedad Española de Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria (SEMFYC) and Sociedad Española de Médicos Generales y de Familia (SEMG).

Patients aged ≥18 years old, with nonvalvular AF, treated with VKAs for at least one year in primary care were included in the study. To be included, at least 80% of INR values during the past 12 months should be available. Before inclusion, patients provided written consent.

Clinical data (biodemographic data, comorbidities, treatments, and thromboembolic/bleeding risk) were recorded from the clinical history of patients at the moment of inclusion. INR values were taken from the previous 12 months of inclusion.

Poor INR control was considered when percent time in therapeutic INR range (TTR) was \<65% (calculated by Rosendaal method) or \<60% by direct method (proportion of INR values).

The study was approved by the ethics committee of hospital La Paz, Madrid.

A total of 1,524 patients have been included in the study.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients aged ≥18 years old with
* nonvalvular AF,
* treated with VKAs for at least one year in primary care
* At least 80% of INR values during the past 12 months should be available.
* Written consent should be provided before inclusion.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients that do not sign or understand written consent.
* Participating in a clinical trial in the last 12 months.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Anticoagulation control with vitamin K antagonists
timeFrame: 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Hospital Ramon y Cajal
name: Vivencio Barrios, MD, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Gallagher AM, Setakis E, Plumb JM, Clemens A, van Staa TP. Risks of stroke and mortality associated with suboptimal anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients. Thromb Haemost. 2011 Nov;106(5):968-77. doi: 10.1160/TH11-05-0353. Epub 2011 Sep 8.
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citation: Clua Espuny JL, Dalmau Llorca MR, Aguilar Martin C; Grupo de Trabajo. [Characteristics of oral anti-coagulation treatment in high-risk chronic auricular fibrillation]. Aten Primaria. 2004 Nov 15;34(8):414-9. doi: 10.1016/s0212-6567(04)78925-8. Spanish.
citation: Hess PL, Mirro MJ, Diener HC, Eikelboom JW, Al-Khatib SM, Hylek EM, Bosworth HB, Gersh BJ, Singer DE, Flaker G, Mega JL, Peterson ED, Rumsfeld JS, Steinberg BA, Kakkar AK, Califf RM, Granger CB; Atrial Fibrillation Think-Tank Participants. Addressing barriers to optimal oral anticoagulation use and persistence among patients with atrial fibrillation: Proceedings, Washington, DC, December 3-4, 2012. Am Heart J. 2014 Sep;168(3):239-247.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2014.04.007. Epub 2014 Apr 24.
citation: Lobos-Bejarano JM, del Castillo-Rodriguez JC, Mena-Gonzalez A, Aleman-Sanchez JJ, Cabrera de Leon A, Baron-Esquivias G, Pastor-Fuentes A; en nombre de los Investigadores del Estudio FIATE (Situacion actual de la FIbrilacion auricular en ATencion primaria en Espana). [Patients' characteristics and clinical management of atrial fibrillation in primary healthcare in Spain: FIATE Study]. Med Clin (Barc). 2013 Oct 5;141(7):279-86. doi: 10.1016/j.medcli.2012.12.023. Epub 2013 May 15. Spanish.
citation: Melamed OC, Horowitz G, Elhayany A, Vinker S. Quality of anticoagulation control among patients with atrial fibrillation. Am J Manag Care. 2011 Mar;17(3):232-7.
citation: Boulanger L, Kim J, Friedman M, Hauch O, Foster T, Menzin J. Patterns of use of antithrombotic therapy and quality of anticoagulation among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation in clinical practice. Int J Clin Pract. 2006 Mar;60(3):258-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1368-5031.2006.00790.x.
citation: Hylek EM, Go AS, Chang Y, Jensvold NG, Henault LE, Selby JV, Singer DE. Effect of intensity of oral anticoagulation on stroke severity and mortality in atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2003 Sep 11;349(11):1019-26. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa022913.