Cross-trial comparisons: a source of confusion, use, or both in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation?

Many medical therapies are shaped by clinical trial data. However, individual clinical trial results sometimes appear discordant for the same tested treatments, and competing treatment strategies are often not directly tested. Clinicians are forced to make decisions by extrapolating information from different trials of similar but nonidentical therapies. In an era where increasing medical complexity demands sound evidence-based decisions, clinicians must navigate through these issues to arrive at optimal patient-specific management decisions. Using trials investigating therapies for atrial fibrillation, we attempt to highlight the important points for practitioners to consider when making these comparative intertrial judgments.