Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice.1 It has been estimated that >3 million people in the US and >4.5 million in the EU have paroxysmal or persistent AF.2-4 AF is associated with an approximately fivefold increased risk of stroke, 5 threefold risk of heart failure, 6 diminished quality of life 7 and increased healthcare costs. 8,9 Ventricular rate control strategy has been a traditional front-line and well-tolerated therapeutic option for the management of patients with AF.Although seemingly preferable in terms of potential advantages related to improved cardiac function and avoidance of unfavourable atrial electrical and mechanical remodelling, the currently available trial and other studies on the utility of dronedarone as a newer antiarrhythmic agent also suggest its limited efficacy and significant potential for adverse events.
11-13Catheter ablation, although generally superior to antiarrhythmic drug therapy in achieving SR, still remains limited by non-trivial recurrence rates for AF as well as the potential for procedural complications and the lack of currently available data on very long-term efficacy and mortality. [14][15][16][17][18] In the meantime, it continues to be an area of intensive research in terms of its role as an evolving therapeutic option to achieve sinus rhythm.In this review article we aim to discuss recommendations for ventricular rate control strategy in the management of patients with AF based on currently available data and the relevance of a rhythm control strategy with the advent of recent treatment advances in the field of antiarrhythmic drug therapy and catheter ablation.
Rate ControlVentricular rate control has been an area of continuous investigation over the years. Until the results of Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) trial were published, rhythm control was widely believed to be a superior therapy with the rationale of SR being associated with better exercise tolerance, superior symptom control and possible decrease in morbidity (see Figure 1). 19 Despite these potential benefits of rhythm control, rate control was found to be non-inferior to rhythm control in the AFFIRM trial, with a trend toward reduced mortality with rate control. Results
AbstractAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice, which is associated with substantial risk of stroke and thromboembolism. As an arrhythmia that is particularly common in the elderly, it is an important contributor towards morbidity and mortality. Ventricular rate control has been a preferred and therapeutically convenient treatment strategy for the management of AF.Recent research in the field of rhythm control has led to the advent of newer antiarrhythmic drugs and catheter ablation techniques as newer therapeutic options. Currently available antiarrhythmic drugs still remain limited by their suboptimal efficacy and significant adverse effects. Catheter ablation as a newer modality...