2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS): what is new?

The article presents key approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation in light of the new 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. The main changes made to the new recommendations are reflected. The innovative patient-oriented principle of atrial fibrillation treatment — AF-CARE is considered in detail. An analysis of the updated scale for assessing the risk of stroke and systemic embolism CHA2DS2-VA is given. The article provides definitions of clinical, subclinical, trigger-induced, newly diagnosed, paroxysmal, persistent and permanent forms of atrial fibrillation, algorithms for the treatment of different forms of atrial fibrillation based on the choice of drug therapy taking into account the left ventricular ejection fraction. Much attention is paid to screening and early detection of atrial fibrillation. The categories of patients for whom screening is advisable are determined. The importance of early diagnostics of atrial cardiomyopathy using atrial myocardial strain analysis is emphasized. The role of timely, guideline-based treatment of comorbid pathology such as chronic heart failure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, arterial hypertension and others is emphasized in order to prevent atrial fibrillation and, if it occurs, to reduce relapses.