Bleeding Risk From Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract This chapter discusses the use of the HAS-BLED score to predict bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on anticoagulation therapy. The score outperformed other risk models like HEMORR2HAGES and ATRIA, as European Society of Cardiology and Canadian guidelines mention. The trial, which researchers conducted in 182 hospitals across Europe, included 3456 AF patients, with major bleeding occurring in 1.5% of cases. This highlights HAS-BLED’s moderate predictive ability, with a C-statistic of 0.72 for the overall group. Finally, the chapter emphasizes that while the score is helpful, its clinical utility should be tempered by the individual patient’s context and other clinical factors.