TY - JOUR
T1 - Longer and better lives for patients with atrial fibrillation
T2 - the 9th AFNET/EHRA consensus conference
AU - Linz, Dominik
AU - Andrade, Jason G
AU - Arbelo, Elena
AU - Boriani, Giuseppe
AU - Breithardt, Guenter
AU - Camm, A John
AU - Caso, Valeria
AU - Nielsen, Jens Cosedis
AU - De Melis, Mirko
AU - De Potter, Tom
AU - Dichtl, Wolfgang
AU - Diederichsen, Søren Zoega
AU - Dobrev, Dobromir
AU - Doll, Nicolas
AU - Duncker, David
AU - Dworatzek, Elke
AU - Eckardt, Lars
AU - Eisert, Christoph
AU - Fabritz, Larissa
AU - Farkowski, Michal
AU - Filgueiras-Rama, David
AU - Goette, Andreas
AU - Guasch, Eduard
AU - Hack, Guido
AU - Hatem, Stéphane
AU - Haeusler, Karl Georg
AU - Healey, Jeff S
AU - Heidbuechel, Hein
AU - Hijazi, Ziad
AU - Hofmeister, Lucas H
AU - Hove-Madsen, Leif
AU - Huebner, Thomas
AU - Kääb, Stefan
AU - Kotecha, Dipak
AU - Malaczynska-Rajpold, Katarzyna
AU - Merino, José Luis
AU - Metzner, Andreas
AU - Mont, Lluís
AU - Ng, Ghulam Andre
AU - Oeff, Michael
AU - Parwani, Abdul Shokor
AU - Puererfellner, Helmut
AU - Ravens, Ursula
AU - Rienstra, Michiel
AU - Sanders, Prashanthan
AU - Scherr, Daniel
AU - Schnabel, Renate
AU - Schotten, Ulrich
AU - Sohns, Christian
AU - Steinbeck, Gerhard
AU - Steven, Daniel
AU - Toennis, Tobias
AU - Tzeis, Stylianos
AU - van Gelder, Isabelle C
AU - van Leerdam, Roderick H
AU - Vernooy, Kevin
AU - Wadhwa, Manish
AU - Wakili, Reza
AU - Willems, Stephan
AU - Witt, Henning
AU - Zeemering, Stef
AU - Kirchhof, Paulus
N1 - © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.
PY - 2024/3/30
Y1 - 2024/3/30
N2 - AIMS: Recent trial data demonstrate beneficial effects of active rhythm management in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and support the concept that a low arrhythmia burden is associated with a low risk of AF-related complications. The aim of this document is to summarize the key outcomes of the 9th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference of the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA).METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty-three international experts met in Münster for 2 days in September 2023. Key findings are as follows: (i) Active rhythm management should be part of the default initial treatment for all suitable patients with AF. (ii) Patients with device-detected AF have a low burden of AF and a low risk of stroke. Anticoagulation prevents some strokes and also increases major but non-lethal bleeding. (iii) More research is needed to improve stroke risk prediction in patients with AF, especially in those with a low AF burden. Biomolecules, genetics, and imaging can support this. (iv) The presence of AF should trigger systematic workup and comprehensive treatment of concomitant cardiovascular conditions. (v) Machine learning algorithms have been used to improve detection or likely development of AF. Cooperation between clinicians and data scientists is needed to leverage the potential of data science applications for patients with AF.CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AF and a low arrhythmia burden have a lower risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events than those with a high arrhythmia burden. Combining active rhythm control, anticoagulation, rate control, and therapy of concomitant cardiovascular conditions can improve the lives of patients with AF.
AB - AIMS: Recent trial data demonstrate beneficial effects of active rhythm management in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and support the concept that a low arrhythmia burden is associated with a low risk of AF-related complications. The aim of this document is to summarize the key outcomes of the 9th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference of the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA).METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty-three international experts met in Münster for 2 days in September 2023. Key findings are as follows: (i) Active rhythm management should be part of the default initial treatment for all suitable patients with AF. (ii) Patients with device-detected AF have a low burden of AF and a low risk of stroke. Anticoagulation prevents some strokes and also increases major but non-lethal bleeding. (iii) More research is needed to improve stroke risk prediction in patients with AF, especially in those with a low AF burden. Biomolecules, genetics, and imaging can support this. (iv) The presence of AF should trigger systematic workup and comprehensive treatment of concomitant cardiovascular conditions. (v) Machine learning algorithms have been used to improve detection or likely development of AF. Cooperation between clinicians and data scientists is needed to leverage the potential of data science applications for patients with AF.CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AF and a low arrhythmia burden have a lower risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events than those with a high arrhythmia burden. Combining active rhythm control, anticoagulation, rate control, and therapy of concomitant cardiovascular conditions can improve the lives of patients with AF.
KW - Humans
KW - Atrial Fibrillation/complications
KW - Stroke/etiology
KW - Risk
KW - Hemorrhage
KW - Anticoagulants/therapeutic use
KW - Atrial cardiomyopathy
KW - Catheter ablation
KW - Anticoagulation
KW - Research
KW - AFNET
KW - Cost
KW - Bleeding
KW - Consensus statement
KW - Outcomes
KW - Guidelines
KW - Technology
KW - Heart failure
KW - Stroke
KW - Atrial fibrillation
KW - Research priorities
KW - Rhythm management
KW - Screening
KW - EHRA
KW - Integrated care
KW - Biomarkers
KW - Cognitive function
KW - Artificial intelligence
KW - Quality of care
KW - Dementia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85190306378&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/europace/euae070
DO - 10.1093/europace/euae070
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38591838
SN - 1099-5129
VL - 26
JO - Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology
JF - Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology
IS - 4
M1 - euae070
ER -