Regulation of Platelet Function in Older Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death and the risk for morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease is thought to increases with age. Platelets play a key role in cardiovascular disease as their activation is essential for the formation of an arterial thrombus, the precursor to myocardial infarction and stroke. Additionally, thrombosis has been shown to be linked to cardiac pathologies including atrial fibrillation. The link between optimal prevention of thrombosis and limiting the risk associated with increased bleeding has not been fully elucidated. Hence, our understanding of the prothrombotic state of the platelet and thrombotic risk in people over the age of 80 is not well understood. In this study, we evaluate the prothrombotic state of the platelets in patients in the cardiovascular clinic over the age of 80 diagnosed with atrial fibrillation who are taking antiplatelet medications to determine the benefits of these interventions in prevention of thrombotic events, propagation of the risk for atrial fibrillation, and bleeding