The Impact of New and Emerging Clinical Data on Treatment Strategies for Atrial Fibrillation

INTRODUCTION: The Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Exchange Group, an international multidisciplinary group concerned with the management of AF, was convened to review recent advances in the field and the potential impact on treatment strategies. METHODS: Issues discussed included epidemiology and the impact of the rising incidence of AF on health care systems, developments in pharmacological and surgical interventions in the management of arrhythmias and thromboprophylaxis, the potential to affect treatment strategies, and barriers to implementing them. RESULTS: The incidence of AF and the associated burden on health care systems are increasing with aging populations, prevalence of comorbidities and more effective treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Advances in available medical treatments, in particular dronedarone and dabigatran, with other products in development, offer the possibility of changes in treatment paradigms and a greater emphasis on reducing hospitalizations and improvement in long-term outcomes instead of a symptom/safety-driven approach in which the priority is symptom suppression without provoking drug toxicity. Developments in catheter ablation techniques may mean that, in experienced centers, ablation may be offered as first-line treatment in selected patient populations. Barriers to optimal treatment include underdiagnosis, lack of recognition as a serious condition and as a risk factor for stroke, limited access to care, inadequate implementation of guidelines, and poor adherence to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The focus of the management of AF may be changing as a consequence of new treatments based on the outcome improvements they offer. However, the benefits will not be fully realized if guidelines and guidance are not observed in routine clinical practice.