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A formidable “TASK”: Tipping the balance in favor of rhythm control for the management of atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major public health epidemic that increases the risk of stroke and heart failure.1 Therapeutic approaches for AF include ablation techniques and pharmacologic agents. The goal of the former strategy is to convert AF by burning or freezing foci of arrhythmogenic triggers or imposing anatomical barriers that disrupt the reentrant circuits that maintain AF. An alternative to ablation is the use of pharmacologic strategies that are either curative (when AF is amenable to conversion) or ameliorative (when it is not).
Source: Heart Rhythm - July 17, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Fadi G. Akar Tags: Editorial Commentary Source Type: research

Biomarkers and atrial fibrillation: is it prime time yet?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a global epidemic with increasing burden on healthcare systems.1 AF is associated with increased risk of thromboembolic stroke, heart failure, cognitive dysfunction and mortality. In improving prognosis, the focus of management revolves around stroke prevention with clinical scores developed to identify people with increased stroke risk. The CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores are the most commonly used scores, with the latter being better able to discriminate low-risk subjects.2 However, both the risk scores have a modest predictive value for identifying high-risk subjects for stroke with C statisti...
Source: Heart - July 3, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Mahajan, R., Lau, D. H., Sanders, P. Tags: Drugs: cardiovascular system, Echocardiography, Clinical diagnostic tests, Epidemiology Editorials Source Type: research

Emergence of Atrial Repolarization Alternans at Late Stages of Remodeling: The “Second Factor” in Atrial Fibrillation Progression?
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology - January 1, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: FADI G. AKAR Tags: Editorial Comment Source Type: research

Ceruloplasmin dysfunction: a key factor in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation?
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Journal of Internal Medicine - November 5, 2013 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Jamie Y Jeremy, Nilima Shukla Tags: Editorial Comment Source Type: research

Rivaroxaban and other novel anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation: time to embrace the future
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is now said to be at epidemic proportions.1 Although symptoms and heart failure are two of the main reasons that patients with AF suffer from reduced quality of life, thromboembolic complications, particularly stroke, remain the major determinant of significant morbidity and mortality.2 Importantly, the risk of thromboembolism (TE) is completely irrespective of symptoms, and hence the sad fact that people continue to present with catastrophic stroke in AF with no prior history of its detection.3 Appropriate anticoagulation is imperative to reduce the TE/stroke risk. Numerous large scale studies hav...
Source: Heart - February 18, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Rajappan, K. Tags: Drugs: cardiovascular system, Epidemiology Editorials Source Type: research

Atrial fibrillation: Profile and burden of an evolving epidemic in the 21st century
Abstract: Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) represents an increasing public health challenge with profound social and economic implications.Methods: A comprehensive synthesis and review of the AF literature was performed. Overall, key findings from 182 studies were used to describe the indicative scope and impact of AF from an individual to population perspective.Results: There are many pathways to AF including advancing age, cardiovascular disease and increased levels of obesity/metabolic disorders. The reported population prevalence of AF ranges from 2.3%–3.4% and historical trends reflect increased AF incidence. Es...
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - February 4, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Jocasta Ball, Melinda J. Carrington, John J.V. McMurray, Simon Stewart Tags: Reviews Source Type: research

I left my smartphone at home and can’t tell if I’m in atrial fibrillation
The enormous impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on human suffering, health-care utilization, and physician resources is clear to the readers of HeartRhythm. Recent publications have developed 3 alarming trends: (1) the incidence of AF is increasing, perhaps fueled by the obesity epidemic; (2) our ability to treat AF is not improving, at least as assessed by age-adjusted mortality rates postdiagnosis; and (3) health-care costs for treatment of AF are growing exponentially. In reaction to these depressing facts, the tendency to want to learn more about our enemy is only natural. Improvements in bioengineering technology and ...
Source: Heart Rhythm - January 28, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: David J. Callans Tags: Editorial Commentary Source Type: research

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