Not all risk factors in CHA2DS2-VASc score carry an equal risk, with age 65 to 74 years associated with the highest stroke rate. Oral anticoagulation should be considered for AF patients with 1 additional stroke risk factor given their high risk of ischemic stroke.

Among patients with AF ≥90 years of age, warfarin was associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke and positive net clinical benefit. Compared with warfarin, NOACs were associated with a lower risk of ICH. Thus, OACs may still be considered as thromboprophylaxis for elderly patients, with NOACs being the more favorable choice.

The burden of AF among Asian patients is increasing, with a lifetime risk of AF being 1 in 7. Optimized management of any associated comorbidities should be part of the holistic management approach for AF.

No abstract

Background-There is a paucity of data regarding the mechanism of maintaining atrial fibrillation (AF) after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with AF. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of circumferential PVI on the left atrial (LA) substrate characteristics. Methods and Results-Seventy-two AF patients (age, 53Ϯ11 years) underwent mapping and catheter ablation using an NavX system. The biatrial characteristics such as the complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFEs; based on fractionated intervals) and frequency analysis (based on dominant frequencies) were mapped before and after PVI. PVI with electric isolation was performed in all patients.