Copyright © 1998 by the European Society of Cardiology.
Atrial fibrillation: current knowledge and recommendations for management
on behalf of the Working Group on Arrhythmias of the The European Society of Cardiology
accepted March 12, 1998
Atrial fibrillation, a commonly encountered arrhythmia, has in recent years, been the subject of increased interest and intensive clinical research. There is also increasing awareness that atrial fibrillation is a major cause of embolic events which in 75% of cases are complicated by cerebrovascular accidents[1,2]. Atrial fibrillation is often associated with heart disease but a significant proportion of patients (about 30%) have no detectable heart disease[3]. Symptoms, occasionally disabling, haemo-dynamic impairment and a decrease in life expectancy are among the untoward effects of atrial fibrillation, resulting in an important morbidity, mortality and an increased cost for the health care provider[4].
The Working Group of Arrhythmias of the European Society of Cardiology created a Study Group on Atrial Fibrillation in order to establish recommen-dations for the better management of this arrhythmia and to promote multicentre studies. The purpose of this paper is to briefly outline the state of our knowledge on the clinical presentation, the causes, the mechanisms and therapeutic approaches currently available and to propose recommendations for management. Although atrial flutter can coexist with atrial fibrillation, it is considered a different arrhythmia and will not be covered in the present paper.
Key Words: atrial fibrillation • thromboembolism • anti-arrythmic agents • anticoagulant therapy
This Report represents the opinion of the Study Group on Atrial Fibrillation and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ESC.
f2 Correspondence:Samuel Lévy MD, FESC, Division of Cardiology, Hôpital Nord, Marseille, 13015 France.
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