Sponsorship Statement: This continuing medical education activity is sponsored by 
Educational Partner: 
Support Statement: This activity is supported by educational grants from:
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.
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, FAHA, FACC, FHRS
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:
Evan Adelstein, MD, FACC, FHRS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI
Chief of Cardiology
VA Boston Healthcare System
Director, Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program
Brigham and Women's Hospital & VA Boston Healthcare System
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Senior Investigator, TIMI Study Group
Boston, MA
Michael D. Ezekowitz, MD
Professor
Thomas Jefferson Medical College
Philadelphia, PA
Itzhak Kronzon, MD, FACC, FACP, FASE, FAHA, FESC
Associate Chairman
Director, Cardiac Imaging
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
Lenox Hill Hospital
New York, NY
Bruce S. Stambler, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS
Professor of Medicine
University Hospitals Case Medical Center
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
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 Credits™. 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, November 2, 2011 to November 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, and complete the evaluation. Provide only one (1) correct answer for each question. A satisfactory score is defined as answering 5 out of 7 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)™ 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.
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):
Evan Adelstein, MD, FACC, FHRS
No relevant financial relationships to disclose
George L. Bakris, MD, FAHA, FASN
Consulting Fees: Abbott, Relapysa, Takeda
Investigator-initiated studies: Forest, Novartis, Pepsico
Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI
Contracted Research: AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eisai, Ethicon, Medtronic, Sanofi Aventis, The Medicines Company
Michael H. Davidson, MD, FACC, FACP, FNLA
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
Michael Ezekowitz, MD
Consulting Fees: ARYx Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Diachi Sanko, Eisai, Gilead, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronics, Merck & Co., Inc, Pfizer, Portola, Sanofi
Peter Kowey, MD, FAHA, FACC, FHRS
Consulting Fees: AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim Bristol-Myers Squibb, Diachi, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Sanofi
Fees for Non-CME Services: Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi
Ownership Interest: Cardionet
Itzhak Kronzon, MD, FACC, FACP, FASE, FAHA, FESC
Fees for Non-CME Services: Philips
Bruce S. Stambler, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS
Consulting Fees: Boston Scientific, Johnson + Johnson
Fees for Non-CME Services: Boehringer-Ingelheim, sanofi-aventis
Contracted Research: Pfizer
Ownership Interest: Merck & Co., Inc.
External reviewer reports the following relationship(s):
Ronald Codario, MD, FACP
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Vindico staff report the following relationship(s):
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.
The University of Chicago Center for Continuing Medical Education and Vindico Medical Education 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 and Vindico Medical Education.
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.