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Linz D, Andrade JG, Arbelo E, Boriani G, Breithardt G, Camm AJ, Caso V, Nielsen JC, De Melis M, De Potter T, Dichtl W, Diederichsen SZ, Dobrev D, Doll N, Duncker D, Dworatzek E, Eckardt L, Eisert C, Fabritz L, Farkowski M, Filgueiras-Rama D, Goette A, Guasch E, Hack G, Hatem S, Haeusler KG, Healey JS, Heidbuechel H, Hijazi Z, Hofmeister LH, Hove-Madsen L, Huebner T, Kääb S, Kotecha D, Malaczynska-Rajpold K, Merino JL, Metzner A, Mont L, Ng GA, Oeff M, Parwani AS, Puererfellner H, Ravens U, Rienstra M, Sanders P, Scherr D, Schnabel R, Schotten U, Sohns C, Steinbeck G, Steven D, Toennis T, Tzeis S, van Gelder IC, van Leerdam RH, Vernooy K, Wadhwa M, Wakili R, Willems S, Witt H, Zeemering S, Kirchhof P. Longer and better lives for patients with atrial fibrillation: the 9th AFNET/EHRA consensus conference. Europace 2024; 26:euae070. [PMID: 38591838 PMCID: PMC11003300 DOI: 10.1093/europace/euae070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS Recent trial data demonstrate beneficial effects of active rhythm management in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and support the concept that a low arrhythmia burden is associated with a low risk of AF-related complications. The aim of this document is to summarize the key outcomes of the 9th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference of the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA). METHODS AND RESULTS Eighty-three international experts met in Münster for 2 days in September 2023. Key findings are as follows: (i) Active rhythm management should be part of the default initial treatment for all suitable patients with AF. (ii) Patients with device-detected AF have a low burden of AF and a low risk of stroke. Anticoagulation prevents some strokes and also increases major but non-lethal bleeding. (iii) More research is needed to improve stroke risk prediction in patients with AF, especially in those with a low AF burden. Biomolecules, genetics, and imaging can support this. (iv) The presence of AF should trigger systematic workup and comprehensive treatment of concomitant cardiovascular conditions. (v) Machine learning algorithms have been used to improve detection or likely development of AF. Cooperation between clinicians and data scientists is needed to leverage the potential of data science applications for patients with AF. CONCLUSIONS Patients with AF and a low arrhythmia burden have a lower risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events than those with a high arrhythmia burden. Combining active rhythm control, anticoagulation, rate control, and therapy of concomitant cardiovascular conditions can improve the lives of patients with AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Linz
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jason G Andrade
- Division of Cardiology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada
| | - Elena Arbelo
- Institut Clínic Cardiovascular, Hospital Clinic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut d’Investigació August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
- European Reference Network for Rare, Low Prevalence and Complex Diseases of the Heart—ERN GUARD-Heart
| | - Giuseppe Boriani
- Cardiology Division, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Polyclinic of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Guenter Breithardt
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital, Münster, Germany
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
| | - A John Camm
- Cardiology Clinical Academic Group, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Institute, St. George's University of London, London, UK
| | - Valeria Caso
- Stroke Unit, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Jens Cosedis Nielsen
- Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | - Wolfgang Dichtl
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Cardiology and Angiology, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Dobromir Dobrev
- Institute of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Doll
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Schüchtermann-Klinik, Bad Rothenfelde, Germany
| | - David Duncker
- Hannover Heart Rhythm Center, Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Lars Eckardt
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Department of Cardiology II—Electrophysiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Larissa Fabritz
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- University Center of Cardiovascular Science, UHZ, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site: Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Michal Farkowski
- Department of Cardiology, Ministry of Interior and Administration, National Medical Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - David Filgueiras-Rama
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Novel Arrhythmogenic Mechanisms Program, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Cardiovascular Institute, C/ Profesor Martín Lagos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andreas Goette
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, St Vincenz-Hospital Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Eduard Guasch
- Institut d’Investigació August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
- Clinic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Guido Hack
- Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Karl Georg Haeusler
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg (UKW), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jeff S Healey
- Division of Cardiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hein Heidbuechel
- Antwerp University Hospital, Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ziad Hijazi
- Antwerp University Hospital, Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Medical Sciences, Cardiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Leif Hove-Madsen
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- IR Sant Pau, Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Stefan Kääb
- European Reference Network for Rare, Low Prevalence and Complex Diseases of the Heart—ERN GUARD-Heart
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Dipak Kotecha
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Katarzyna Malaczynska-Rajpold
- Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Stevenage, UK
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - José Luis Merino
- La Paz University Hospital, IdiPaz, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andreas Metzner
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lluís Mont
- Institut Clínic Cardiovascular, Hospital Clinic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut d’Investigació August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ghulam Andre Ng
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK
| | - Michael Oeff
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Cardiology Department, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg, Brandenburg/Havel, Germany
| | - Abdul Shokor Parwani
- Department of Cardiology, Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité (CVK), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Ursula Ravens
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Clinic Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michiel Rienstra
- University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Prashanthan Sanders
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Daniel Scherr
- Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Renate Schnabel
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site: Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schotten
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Departments of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Sohns
- Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Universitätsklinik der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Klinik für Elektrophysiologie—Rhythmologie, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Gerhard Steinbeck
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Center for Cardiology at Clinic Starnberg, Starnberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Steven
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Heart Center, Department of Electrophysiology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Tobias Toennis
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site: Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Isabelle C van Gelder
- University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Kevin Vernooy
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Manish Wadhwa
- Medical Office, Philips Ambulatory Monitoring and Diagnostics, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Reza Wakili
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- Department of Medicine and Cardiology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Germany
| | - Stephan Willems
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site: Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- Asklepios Hospital St. Georg, Department of Cardiology and Internal Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University Campus, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Stef Zeemering
- Departments of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Paulus Kirchhof
- Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Muenster, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site: Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, Hamburg, Germany
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Hermans BJM, Weberndörfer V, Bijvoet GP, Chaldoupi SM, Linz D. New concepts in atrial fibrillation pathophysiology. Herzschrittmacherther Elektrophysiol 2022; 33:362-366. [PMID: 36136132 PMCID: PMC9691491 DOI: 10.1007/s00399-022-00897-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The current classification of atrial fibrillation (AF) is mainly focused on the clinical presentation according to the duration of AF episodes and the mode of termination, which incompletely reflect the severity and progressive nature of the underlying atrial disease. In this review article, "atrial cardiomyopathy" is discussed as a new concept in AF pathophysiology. Electrogram-, imaging-, and biomarker-derived measures and parameters to assess atrial cardiomyopathy, which will likely impact how AF is clinically classified and managed in the future, are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J M Hermans
- Department of Physiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Vanessa Weberndörfer
- Department of Physiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Geertruida P Bijvoet
- Department of Physiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sevasti-Maria Chaldoupi
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dominik Linz
- Department of Physiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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