Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Specific Considerations for the Old Age

Table 1

Stroke risk assessment in nonvalvular AF: CHA₂DS₂-VASc [23]. For a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score > 1, such patients are high risk, and oral anticoagulation is recommended; for a CHA₂DS₂-VASc = 1, either oral anticoagulation or apirin 75 to 325 mg daily is recommended, but oral anticoagulation is preferred rather than aspirin; for a CHA₂DS₂-VASc = 0, either aspirin 75 to 325 mg daily or no antithrombotic treatment can be used, but no antithrombotic therapy is preferred.

Risk factors	Score
Congestive heart failure/LV dysfunction	1
Hypertension	1
Age ≥ 75 years	2
Diabetes mellitus	1
Stroke/TIA/TE	2
Vascular disease (prior MI, PAD, or aortic plaque)	1
Age 65–74 years	1
Sex category (i.e., female sex)	1
Maximum score	9

TIA: transient ischemic attack; TE: thromboembolic event.