[Therapeutic strategy for patients with atrial fibrillation--ciliary arrhythmia].

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest heart arrhythmia with the estimated incidence of 1-2%. It affects over 6 mln persons in Europe, its prevalence is expected to be twice the current level within the next 50 years. AF is known to increase the risk of ischemic stroke by five times and be the cause of each fifth stroke. Ischemic stroke in AF patients as a rule has a fatal outcome and leads to more severe disability than stroke of different nature; also, it recurs more frequently. Modern approaches to the treatment of this pathology by antiarrhythmic medicines, defibrillation, and new antithrombotic agents as recommended by international societies of cardiologies.