Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation: An Overview

Abstract

Summary Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been defined as the new cardiovascular “epidemic”. Its prevalence is rising in developed countries, and the associated social and economic costs are high. In the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms of AF and its management. New pharmacotherapies together with novel techniques for surgical and catheter treatment of AF have been developed, allowing the maintenance of sinus rhythm and the alleviation of symptoms in a large number of patients with AF. However, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. This article gives an overview of the current state of the art on novel techniques for diagnosis and management of AF.

Broad Electrocardiogram Syndromes Spectrum: From Common Emergencies to Particular Electrical Heart Disorders

“…Atrial fibrillation can be commonly asymptomatic (silent AFib). Patients may develop palpitations, dyspnea, exercise intolerance, dizziness, fatigue, presyncope, or syncope [92,93].…”

Adjunctive surgical atrial fibrillation ablation during cardiac surgery: real life experiences

“…Valvular heart diseases, especially mitral valve affections, cause structural cardiac changes as well as atrial remodelling and increase the likelihood of atrial dysrhythmia [4]. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation in individuals undergoing cardiac surgery ranges between 1 and 9 % in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures up to 50 % in patients with the need for mitral valve surgery [5].First effective surgical treatment for AF was initiated by the Maze procedure in 1987 by Dr. James Cox: a cut-and-sew technique, the Cox-Maze (CM) I procedure. This operation was developed to create lines of scar in order to terminate macro-reentry circuits in the atria and thereby prevent the atrium to fibrillate [6].…”

“…Valvular heart diseases, especially mitral valve affections, cause structural cardiac changes as well as atrial remodelling and increase the likelihood of atrial dysrhythmia [4]. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation in individuals undergoing cardiac surgery ranges between 1 and 9 % in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures up to 50 % in patients with the need for mitral valve surgery [5].…”