Treatment final guidance has been published for sufferers of common heart conditions.
NICE has recommended a new treatment as an option for the prevention of stroke and common heart conditions such as irregular heart beat and has stipulated that decisions to use it be made after informed discussions about the risks and alternatives.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia also known as irregular heart beat.
It occurs when the electrical impulses controlling the heart rhythm become disorganised. People with this condition are at higher risk of developing blood clots and subsequent stroke, however the risk of stroke can be substantially reduced by appropriate use what is known as antithrombotic therapy.
The alterntaive treatment which received its license for the final guidance is an orally administered drug that helps to prevent blood from clotting.
Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE Health Technology Evaluation Centre, said: "Atrial fibrillation can be a distressing condition and people with it have an increased risk of suffering a stroke. Many people with the condition find it difficult to comply with the most commonly used antithrombotic therapy.
"This is because, among other things, its use requires regular monitoring of the blood's clotting properties and dose adjustments which can cause disruption and inconvenience. It also has multiple interactions with food, alcohol and drugs that can cause further inconvenience."
Longson said the alternative treatment had been concluded as a more clinically effective for the primary use of preventing stroke.
