AHA Statement Highlights Risks of Antithrombotic Undertreatment

An American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation addresses antithrombotic undertreatment, including treatment omission, nonadherence, underdosing, and clinical circumstances that produce subtherapeutic drug levels. The statement discusses care gaps affecting patients with atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism, and peripheral artery disease; it is not a report of a new clinical trial.

According to the abstract, antithrombotic undertreatment increases rates of ischemic stroke, systemic embolism, recurrent thrombosis, and mortality. Contributors include deviations from evidence-based practice, misperceptions of bleeding versus thrombotic risk, and inequities in healthcare access. Real-world data indicate substantial care gaps that appear greater among patients experiencing inequities in social determinants of health. The available abstract provides no numerical risk estimates or study-level sample sizes.

The statement emphasizes structured, interprofessional antithrombotic stewardship as an approach to identifying and reducing undertreatment. For clinicians, its focus is on evidence-based prescribing, dosing, adherence, and access. Full text was unavailable, limiting assessment of the supporting evidence and any specific practice recommendations beyond the abstract.