Use of apixaban in real-life is associated with an overall similar effectiveness in reducing stroke and any thromboembolic events when compared with warfarin. A better safety profile was found with apixaban compared with warfarin, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban.

Female patients with AF are at increased risk of stroke compared to men. A significant relationship between increasing age and stroke risk in women compared to men was found, most evident at age > 65 years. Female sex may act as a stroke risk modifier, particularly in elderly and very elderly AF subjects, conferring a significant increase in stroke risk.

Restarting OAC therapy after a major bleeding event in AF was associated with a positive clinical benefit when compared to non-restarting OAC, with a significant reduction in any thromboembolism and all-cause mortality.

No abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and catheter ablation, which can be used in symptomatic patients refractory to antiarrhythmic therapy. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) remains the cornerstone of any ablation procedure. A major limitation of current catheter ablation procedures is important to recognize because even when the PVI is performed in highly experienced centers, PVI reconnection was documented in about 20% of patients. Therefore, better technology is needed to improve ablation lesions. One of the novelties in recent years is pulsed filed ablation (PFA), a non-thermal energy that uses trains of high-voltage, very-short-duration pulses to kill the cells. The mechanism of action of this energy consists of creating pores in the myocardiocyte cell membrane in a highly selective and tissue-specific way; this leads to death of the target cells reducing the risk of damage to surrounding non-cardiac tissues. In particular during the animal studies, PVI and atrial lines were performed effectively without PV stenosis. Using PFA directly on coronary arteries, there was no luminal narrowing, there has been no evidence of incidental phrenic nerve injury, and finally, PFA has been shown not to injure esophageal tissue when directly applied to the esophagus or indirectly through ablation in the left atrium. The aim of this review is to report all published animal and clinical studies regarding this new technology to treat paroxysmal and persistent AF.