Watch EP on EP Interview on Heart Rhythm TV About Patient-Relevant Bleeding

What afib patients say about bruising and bleeding while on blood thinners

  • Summary: Watch the EP on EP interview with Eric N. Prystowsky, MD, FHRS, and Mellanie True Hills about Patient-Relevant Bleeding when taking blood thinners.
  • Reading time: 3–5 minutes

A survey of people taking anticoagulants (blood thinners) for preventing afib strokes or blood clots told us that so-called “minor bleeding” can be anything but minor for some patients.

In an EP on EP interview at the Heart Rhythm Society, StopAfib.org founder Mellanie True Hills and Eric N. Prystowsky, MD, FHRS, an electrophysiologist and member of the StopAfib.org Board of Directors, talked about Patient-Relevant Bleeding based on the results of the survey.

Dr. Prystowsky hosts the Heart Rhythm Society’s EP on EP broadcasts on Heart Rhythm TV and wanted to better understand the Patient-Relevant Bleeding concept that Mellanie had shared with him.

What We Heard From Patients

The discussion centered on a survey of 3,072 afib and blood clot patients worldwide who were taking blood thinners. Patients shared how bleeding and bruising affected them and their daily lives.

The survey found:

  • 59% reported bleeding; among them, 86% reported both bleeding and bruising.
  • 54% had adjusted their lifestyle to accommodate the bleeding risk.
  • 47% said bleeding had an emotional impact, causing stress and lifestyle changes such as reducing activity, altering personal grooming, or changing clothing.
  • Approximately 29% had considered or stopped taking their blood thinner.
  • About 38% said it was very important to know about new treatment options that could prevent a stroke but had a lower bleeding risk.

The survey results had been presented as a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Congress in Montreal in 2023.

In the interview, Dr. Prystowsky educated clinicians about what patients experience with blood thinners. He said that patients should not have to simply accept bleeding and bruising as part of life with afib but instead should discuss their options with their doctors. Learn more from the: