Rhythm Management
Education – Clinical: Join esteemed moderators and panelists to learn about a multidisciplinary approach to atrial fibrillation (AFib), different facets of AFib treatment, and the shift to early rhythm control for AFib management. Supported by Sanofi and Biosense Webster, these three complimentary webinars each contain thoughtful presentations, recorded Q&As with a panel of experts, and full transcripts. In this episode, Luigi Di Biase, MD, PhD, FHRS, addresses the best rhythm control strategies for early intervention in AF patients, including new technologies to potentially improve ablation outcome, identifying patients most suitable for LAA occlusion, and how lifestyle changes impact the AF disease course. Additional presentations and a Q&A-based discussion are also included with John Allison, MD, Devi G. Nair, MD, FHRS, Sanghamitra Mohanty, MBBS, MD, MS, FHRS, and Andrea Natale, MD, FHRS.
Read MoreGuidelines/Clinical Documents: Guidelines from CCS to inform best practices for clinicians across all disciplines while treating AFib patients. This document should be an important aid for knowledge translation and a tool to help improve clinical management of this important and challenging arrhythmia.
Read MoreGuidelines/Clinical Documents: To review the evidence and provide clinical recommendations for the pharmacologic management of atrial fibrillation. Methods: This guideline is based on two systematic reviews of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective and retrospective observational studies from 2000 to 2012. An updated literature search was performed to identify new studies from 2012 to December 31, 2015. The targeted audience for the guideline includes all primary care clinicians, and the targeted patient population includes adults who have nonvalvular atrial fibrillation that is not due to a reversible cause. This guideline was developed using a modified version of GRADE to evaluate the quality of the evidence and make recommendations based on the balance of benefits and harms.
Read MoreGuidelines/Clinical Documents: This manuscript builds on the work of a diverse, multiple-stakeholder Think Tank meeting and multidisciplinary Inter-pro Forum educational activity held in January 2019, both led by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). When examining the current clinical landscape, the Think Tank concluded that there is a clear need for AF CoEs to improve AF care and its delivery. In this manuscript, HRS hopes to accelerate this evolution by reviewing the rationale for AF CoEs, the available evidence for integrated and multidisciplinary care, and future challenges and opportunities. The document also defines the key priorities to be used as a guide for HRS and its diverse stakeholders to build consensus on defining the core components of an AF CoE.
Read MoreJournal Articles: In this international, investigator-initiated, parallel-group, open, blinded-outcome assessment trial, we randomly assigned patients who had early atrial fibrillation (diagnosed ≤1 year before enrollment) and cardiovascular conditions to receive either early rhythm control or usual care. Early rhythm control included treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs or atrial fibrillation ablation after randomization. Usual care limited rhythm control to the management of atrial fibrillation–related symptoms. The first primary outcome was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, stroke, or hospitalization with worsening of heart failure or acute coronary syndrome; the second primary outcome was the number of nights spent in the hospital per year. The primary safety outcome was a composite of death, stroke, or serious adverse events related to rhythm-control therapy. Secondary outcomes, including symptoms and left ventricular function, were also evaluated.
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