The European Network for Translational Research in Atrial Fibrillation (EUTRAF): objectives and initial results.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in the general population. As an age-related arrhythmia AF is becoming a huge socio-economic burden for European healthcare systems. Despite significant progress in our understanding of the pathophysiology of AF, therapeutic strategies for AF have not changed substantially and the major challenges in the management of AF are still unmet.

The heart and brain imaging in lone atrial fibrillation - are we surprised?

"Lone" atrial fibrillation (AF) is generally used to refer to patients with AF in the absence of structural heart disease. When the decision for oral anticoagulation is discussed, "lone" AF refers to patients who do not have established stroke risk factors. Imaging is often used to rule out structural heart disease, e.

Frequent and possibly inappropriate use of combination therapy with an oral anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents in patients with atrial fibrillation in Europe.

Purpose: Combined oral anticoagulant (OAC) and antiplatelet (AP) therapy is generally discouraged in atrial fibrillation (AF) outside of acute coronary syndromes or stenting because of increased bleeding. We evaluated its frequency and possible reasons in a contemporary European AF population.

Methods: The PREvention oF thromboembolic events-European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation (PREFER in AF) prospectively enrolled AF patients in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and the UK from January 2012 to January 2013.

Brain MRI to personalise atrial fibrillation therapy: current evidence and perspectives.

Advances in the access to and in the performance of brain MRI have led to an increased detection of asymptomatic abnormalities in the brain of patients with cardiovascular diseases. These may have prognostic impact and could influence management in the future. In this review, we summarise the main findings of brain MRI in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and explore the available evidence to better quantify the risk for intracerebral haemorrhage and (recurrent) ischaemic stroke based on brain MRI findings.

The European Heart Rhythm Association symptom classification for atrial fibrillation: validation and improvement through a simple modification.

Aims: To validate the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) symptom classification in atrial fibrillation (AF) and test whether its discriminative ability could be improved by a simple modification.

Methods And Results: We compared the EHRA classification with three quality of life (QoL) measures: the AF-specific Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-life (AFEQT) questionnaire; two components of the EQ-5D instrument, a health-related utility which can be used to calculate cost-effectiveness, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) which demonstrates patients' own assessment of health status. We then proposed a simple modification [modified EHRA (mEHRA)] to improve discrimination at the point where major treatment decisions are made.

Quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation: how to assess it and how to improve it.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent cardiac rhythm disorder and presents a considerable public health burden that is likely to increase in the next decades due to the ageing population. Current management strategies focus on the heart rate and rhythm control, thromboembolism prevention, and treatment of underlying diseases. The concept of quality of life (QoL) has gained significant importance in recent years as an outcome measure in AF studies evaluating therapeutic interventions and as a relevant component of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Management of atrial fibrillation in seven European countries after the publication of the 2010 ESC Guidelines on atrial fibrillation: primary results of the PREvention oF thromboemolic events--European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation (PREFER in AF).

Aims: We sought to describe the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in Europe after the release of the 2010 AF Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology.

Methods And Results: The PREFER in AF registry enrolled consecutive patients with AF from January 2012 to January 2013 in 461 centres in seven European countries. Seven thousand two hundred and forty-three evaluable patients were enrolled, aged 71.

Improving outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: rationale and design of the Early treatment of Atrial fibrillation for Stroke prevention Trial.

Background: Even on optimal therapy including anticoagulation and rate control, major cardiovascular complications (stroke, cardiovascular death, and acute heart failure) are common in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Conceptually, maintenance of sinus rhythm could prevent adverse outcomes related to AF. Rhythm control therapy has been only moderately effective in published trials, and its potential benefit was offset by side effects of repeated interventions.

Personalized management of atrial fibrillation: Proceedings from the fourth Atrial Fibrillation competence NETwork/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference.

The management of atrial fibrillation (AF) has seen marked changes in past years, with the introduction of new oral anticoagulants, new antiarrhythmic drugs, and the emergence of catheter ablation as a common intervention for rhythm control. Furthermore, new technologies enhance our ability to detect AF. Most clinical management decisions in AF patients can be based on validated parameters that encompass type of presentation, clinical factors, electrocardiogram analysis, and cardiac imaging.

[Atrial fibrillation: current recommendations for diagnosis and treatment].

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is by far the most common arrhythmia. It occurs more often with increasing age. Patients with AF almost always require oral anticoagulants and a rate-control treatment.

Flecainide acetate for the treatment of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.

Introduction: Flecainide is a class Ic antiarrhythmic agent available in Europe since 1982. The clinical development program of flecainide provided good data on its antiarrhythmic effect for the prevention of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST), conducted to test whether the arrhythmia suppression translates into prevention of sudden death, assessed the impact of flecainide and encainide therapy in patients with frequent ventricular ectopics and reduced left ventricular function who had survived an infarction.