RT Book, Section
A1 Curtis, Anne B.
A1 Baykaner, Tina
A1 Narayan,  Sanjiv M.
A2 Fuster, Valentin
A2 Narula, Jagat
A2 Vaishnava, Prashant
A2 Leon, Martin B.
A2 Callans, David J.
A2 Rumsfeld, John
A2 Poppas, Athena
SR Print(0)
ID 1191374940
T1 Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter
T2 Fuster and Hurst's The Heart, 15e
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781264257560
LK accesscardiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1191374940
RD 2023/02/07
AB Chapter  SummaryThis  chapter  discusses  the  epidemiology,  pathophysiology,  and  classification  of  atrial  fibrillation  (AF)  and  atrial  flutter,  as  well  as  the  clinical  presentation,  evaluation,  and  management  of  patients  with  these  arrhythmias  (see  Fuster  and  Hurst’s  Central  Illustration).  Patients  may  have  a  range  of  presentations  from  asymptomatic,  with  the  arrhythmia  detected  only  by  electrocardiography  or  other  monitoring,  to  highly  symptomatic.  Management  approaches  should  be  individualized  to  patient  symptoms  and  comorbidities.  Management  of  AF  may  require  cardioversion  acutely  for  symptomatic  patients,  followed  by  strategies  to  prevent  recurrent  AF  and  minimize  sequelae  such  as  stroke.  An  important  consideration  in  the  management  of  AF  is  lifestyle  modification,  because  conditions  such  as  sleep  apnea,  obesity,  excessive  alcohol  intake,  and  lack  of  exercise  may  contribute  to  the  development  or  maintenance  of  AF.  Long-term  management  includes  anticoagulation  for  the  prevention  of  thromboembolism  in  patients  deemed  to  be  high  risk.  The  other  pillars  of  management  of  AF  are  rate  control  and  rhythm  control.  Emerging  data  support  early  rhythm  control  by  antiarrhythmic  drugs  or  catheter  ablation,  especially  in  certain  subpopulations  such  as  those  with  concurrent  heart  failure.  The  management  of  atrial  flutter  is  analogous  in  most  respects  to  that  of  AF,  although  typical  atrial  flutter  is  curative  in  most  cases  with  catheter  ablation.