Cor Vasa 2002, 43(1):38-42
Atrial fibrillation: current potential for treatment or (old) new guidelines
- Klinika kardiologie, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an arrhythmia with increasing prevalence. Management is individualized depending on the severity and frequency of problems and presence of heart disease. The mainstay of therapy is prevention of thromboembolic events using anticoagulation or antiaggregation therapy, depending on risk stratification in a specific patient. A similar technique of prevention should be used for atrial flutter. It is not clear at the moment whether it is better-in terms of morbidity and mortality-to make every effort to maintain sinus rhythm with antiarrhythmics or just to monitor heart rate and prevent thromboemobolic events. Should pharmacotherapy fail, non-pharmacological (palliative or curative) therapy is instituted. The potential of catheter ablation (pulmonary artery isolation in particular) has improved dramatically. Hybrid therapy, as a combination of several procedures, has been shown to be effective in many patients.
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Prevention of thromboembolic events; Antiarrhythmics; Hybrid therapy; Catheter ablation
Published: January 1, 2002 Show citation