Acute rate control in atrial fibrillation: an urgent need for the clinician.

Rate and rhythm control are still considered equivalent strategies for symptom control using the Atrial Fibrillation Better Care algorithm recommended by the recent atrial fibrillation guideline. In acute situations or critically ill patients, a personalized approach should be used for rapid rhythm or rate control. Even though electrical cardioversion is generally indicated in haemodynamically unstable patients or for rapid effective rhythm control in critically ill patients, this is not always possible due to the high percentage of failure or relapses in such patients.

Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation - The Use of NOACs in Everyday Clinical Practice.

Non-antivitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have recently emerged as a new class of antithrombotic drugs. Four large-scale, randomised controlled trials (RCT) accredited dabigatran, rivaroxaban and edoxaban with evident advantages for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with warfarin. The superiority concerns not only the manageability but also the antithrombotic efficacy and safety.