Sponsorship Statement: This continuing medical education activity is sponsored by 
Educational Partner: 
Support Statement: This activity is supported by educational grants from
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this activity participants should be able to:
- Assess stroke risk in all patients with AF utilizing current national guidelines to determine the need for antithrombin therapy and to guide treatment selection.
- Evaluate bleeding risk in patients with AF who require anticoagulant therapy to help prevent the development of bleeding complications.
- Implement guideline-recommended anticoagulation therapies according to stroke risk in patients with AF.
- Discuss investigational anticoagulation therapies in terms of efficacy, safety, and potential place in stroke prevention in patients with AF.
Cardiovascular Consults Editorial Board
George L. Bakris, MD, FAHA, FASN
Professor of Medicine
Director, Hypertensive Diseases Unit
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Chicago, IL
Michael H. Davidson, MD, FACC, FACP, FNLA
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Director of Preventive Cardiology
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Chicago, IL
Peter Kowey, MD
President, Main Line Health Center
William Wikoff Smith Chair in Cardiovascular Research
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Professor of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology
Jefferson Medical College
Philadelphia, PA
Cardiovascular Consults Contributing Faculty:
Jerome D. Cohen, MD
Professor Emeritus
St. Louis University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
Anne B. Curtis, MD, FHRS, FACC, FAHA
Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and Chair
Department of Medicine
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
John U. Doherty, MD, FACC, FAHA, FACP
Professor of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College
Philadelphia, PA
Francis E. Marchlinski
Professor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA
Bruce S. Stambler, MD
Professor of Medicine
University Hospitals Case Medical Center
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Michael Zawaneh, MD
Arizona Arrhythmia Consultants, PLC
Scottsdale, Arizona
Peter Zimetbaum, MD
Director, Clinical Cardiology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Accreditation:
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credit Designation
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine designates this enduring material activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This enduring material is approved for 1 year from the date of original release, July 2, 2011 to July 1, 2012.
How To Participate in this Activity and Obtain CME Credit:
To participate in this CME activity you must read the objectives, read the articles, complete the CME posttest, and complete the evaluation. Provide only one (1) correct answer for each question. A satisfactory score is defined as answering 5 out 8 of the posttest questions correctly. Upon receipt of the completed materials, if a satisfactory score on the posttest is achieved, the University of Chicago will issue an AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM certificate.
Disclosures:
In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Standards for Commercial Support, all CME providers are required to disclose to the activity audience the relevant financial relationships of the planners, teachers, and authors involved in the development of CME content. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if he or she has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the CME activity content over which the individual has control. Relationship information appears on this page.
The authors disclose that they do have significant financial interests in any products or class of products discussed directly or indirectly in this activity, including research support.
Planning Committee and Faculty members report the following relationship(s):
George L. Bakris, MD
Consulting Fees: Abbott, Relapysa, Takeda
Investigator-initiated studies: Forest, Novartis, Pepsico
Jerome D. Cohen, MD
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Anne B. Curtis, MD
Consulting Fees: Biosense Webster, Medtronic, Sanofi-Aventis, St. Jude Medical
Fees for Non CME Services: Medtronic, Sanofi-Aventis
Contracted Research: Medtronic, St. Jude Medical
Michael H. Davidson, MD
Speakers’ Bureau: Abbott, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck
Advisory Board/Consultant: Abbott, Aegerion,Amgen, AstraZeneca, Atherotech, Daiichi-Sankyo, DTC MD, Esperion, GlaxoSmithKline, iMD (Intelligent Medical Decisions), Kinemed, LipoScience, Merck, NovoNordisk, Roche, sanofi-aventis, Synarc, Takeda, Vindico Medical Education
Grant/Research: Abbott, Daiichi-Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Roche
Board of Directors: DTC MD, Omthera, Professioal Evaluation, Inc. Medical Education Company, Sonogene
John Doherty, MD
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Peter Kowey, MD
Consulting Fees: AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi,
GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Sanofi
Fees for Non-CME Services: Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi
Ownership Interest: Cardionet
Francis E. Marchlinski, MD
Consulting Fees: St. Jude Medical Consulting
Bruce S. Stambler, MD
Consulting Fees: Boston Scientific, Johnson + Johnson
Fees for Non-CME Services: Boehringer-Ingelheim, sanofi-aventis
Contracted Research: Pfizer
Ownership Interest: Merck & Co., Inc.
Michael Zawaneh, MD
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Peter Zimetbaum, MD
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
External reviewer reports the following relationship(s):
Benjamin Ansell, MD
Consulting Fees: Genentech, Ortho-Janssen
Fees for Non-CME Services: Pfizer
Ownership Interest: Biogen, Amgen, Bruin Pharma
Vindico staff report the following relationship(s):
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
The University of Chicago Center for Continuing Medical Educatin staff report the following relationship(s):
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Signed disclosures are on file at The University of Chicago Center for Continuing Medical Education.
Target Audience: This program is designed for cardiologists and other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of patients with AF who are at risk for stroke.
Unlabeled and Investigational Usage:
The audience is advised that this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled uses of FDA-approved products or to products not approved by the FDA for use in the United States. The faculty members have been made aware of their obligation to disclose such usage. All activity participants will be informed if any speakers/authors intend to discuss either non-FDA approved or investigational use of products/devices.
Copyright Statement:
Created and published by Vindico Medical Education, 6900 Grove Road, Building 100, Thorofare, NJ 08086-9447. Telephone: 856-848-1000; Fax: 856-848-6091. Printed in the USA. Copyright© 2011 Vindico Medical Education. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The material presented at or in any of University of Chicago and Vindico Medical Education continuing medical education activities does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of University of Chicago and Vindico Medical Education. Neither University of Chicago, Vindico Medical Education, nor the faculty endorse or recommend any techniques, commercial products, or manufacturers. The faculty/authors may discuss the use of materials and/or products that have not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. All readers and continuing education participants should verify all information before treating patients or utilizing any product.