ACC Will Launch Two Registries to Assess Atrial Fibrillation

August 13, 2015—The American College of Cardiology (ACC) announced that it will launch two new clinical registry programs to track real-world outcomes for the treatment and stroke prevention of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF): the LAAO Registry and the AFib Ablation Registry. These two new clinical registry programs will join eight other programs that comprise the National Cardiovascular Data Registry, the ACC’s suite of cardiovascular data registries that help hospitals and clinical practices measure and improve the quality of care they provide.

In the announcement, ACC President Kim A. Williams Sr, MD, commented, “With a growing prevalence of AF and growing options for treatment and stroke prevention in AF patients, the ACC saw a need for real-world data to track and evaluate the use of these new technologies. Data derived from these registries are expected to inform practices and improve patient outcomes.”

ACC advised that it will launch the LAAO Registry in the coming months. This registry will capture data on left atrial appendage occlusion procedures to assess real-world procedural indications and outcomes, as well as short- and long-term safety outcomes for these procedures to manage stroke risk for nonvalvular AF patients who are unable to maintain adequate anticoagulation through medication therapy.

The AFib Ablation Registry is being planned to assess the prevalence, demographics, acute management, and outcomes of patients undergoing AF ablation procedures. Its data will support the development of evidence-based guidelines and quality metrics for treatments to improve outcomes for AF patients.