The American Heart Association is pleased to present articles from physicians on diagnosing, treating and managing arrhythmia. Contributors to this section are cardiologists who deal with arrhythmia daily.

The following is editorial content and does not necessarily represent the views, policy or guidelines of the American Heart Association.

Rate Versus Rhythm Control in the Management of Atrial Fibrillation
Editorial by D. George Wyse, M.D., Ph.D., FACC, FAHA, FRCPC
Professor, Department of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Calgary
Read Dr. Wyse's biography

The message for all healthcare professionals is that even if your patient with AF had other cardiac problems and was treated by a cardiologist, it's highly likely to reoccur. All healthcare professionals will need to understand the best management techniques for AF because it probably won’t be possible to send all AF patients back to the cardiologist. 

Impact of New Antiarrhythmic Drugs on Clinical Management of Atrial Fibrillation: Will They Change the Way Physicians Practice?
Editorial by James A. Reiffel, M.D., Professor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

As new antiarrhythmic drugs are introduced into the market, physicians need guidelines to help them understand how to incorporate these drugs into the clinical management of their patients. This editorial addresses the complexity of this issue, stressing the importance of safety first, efficacy second in deciding what drug therapies are best for which patients.

Inpatient or Outpatient Initiation of Antiarrhythmic Medications for Atrial Fibrillation
Editorial by Peter Zimetbaum, M.D., Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained rhythm disturbance. Its prevalence is expected to increase as a higher proportion of the population reaches older age. AF is often associated with structural heart disease (SHD), but a substantial proportion of patients with AF have no detectable cardiovascular abnormalities. Hemodynamic impairment and thromboembolic events related to AF result in significant morbidity, mortality and cost. Therefore, issues about AF continue to be discussed to improve outcomes for patients and to lower the cost to treat and manage this growing condition. 

Molecular Biology of Sodium Channels and Their Role in Cardiac Arrhythmias
Editorial by Augustus O. Grant, M.D., Ph.D., Duke Heart Center, Durham, N.C.
Read Dr. Grant's biography

Dr. Grant specializes in cardiac arrhythmias. Over the past decade, the techniques of molecular genetics and biophysics have provided remarkable advances in our understanding of sodium channel structure and the relationship of function to structure. This article outlines new developments in this field and discusses the role of sodium channels in inherited cardiac arrhythmias.

Overview of the Contemporary Evaluation and Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: What Every General Practitioner Should Know
Editorial by Andrea M. Russo, M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems

An estimated 2.2 million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation, and as the likelihood of the condition increases with age, this topic is of great importance to all general practitioners.

Overview of the AFFIRM Study
Presentation by John DiMarco, M.D., Ph.D., University of Virginia Health System
Read Dr. DiMarco's biography

This PowerPoint presentation explains the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to determine the success of treatments for rate control versus treatments for rhythm control of atrial fibrillation. 



This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 09/21/09.