Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2005 Jan 29;330(7485):238-43.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.330.7485.238.

Recent developments in atrial fibrillation

M Bilal Iqbal  1 , Anil K Taneja, Gregory Y H Lip, Marcus Flather
Affiliations
Review

Recent developments in atrial fibrillation

M Bilal Iqbal et al. BMJ. .
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Classification of atrial fibrillation. *When a patient has had two or more episodes of atrial fibrillation, this is termed recurrent. Both paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation are potentially recurrent arrhythmias. †With time, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation may become persistent; likewise, both paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation may become permanent
Fig 2
Fig 2
Advantages and disadvantages of “rate control” and “rhythm control”
Fig 3
Fig 3
Algorithm for anticoagulating patients with atrial fibrillation. *Thyrotoxicosis is associated with a high thromboembolic risk in atrial fibrillation. Current guidelines recommend anticoagulation with warfarin, if no contraindications exist, at least until a euthyroid state is achieved and congestive heart failure has been corrected. †Owing to lack of sufficient clear cut evidence, treatment may be decided on an individual basis, and the physician must balance the risks and benefits of warfarin versus aspirin; referral and echocardiography may help in these cases. ‡In patients with older prosthetic valves, the target INR should be higher and aspirin added depending on valve type, valve position, and patient factors. INR=international normalised ratio; CVA=cerebrovascular accident; TIA=transient ischaemic attack
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Feinberg WM, Blackshear JL, Laupacis A, Kronmal R, Hart RG. Prevalence, age distribution, and gender of patients with atrial fibrillation: analysis and implications. Arch Intern Med 1995;155: 469-73. - PubMed
    1. Ruigomez A, Johansson S, Wallander MA, Rodriguez LA. Incidence of chronic atrial fibrillation in general practice and its treatment pattern. J Clin Epidemiol 2002;55: 358-63. - PubMed
    1. Go AS, Hylek EM, Phillips KA, Chang Y, Henault LE, Selby JV, et al. Prevalence of diagnosed atrial fibrillation in adults: national implications for rhythm management and stroke prevention: the anticoagulation and risk factors in atrial fibrillation (ATRIA) study. JAMA 2001;285: 2370-5. - PubMed
    1. Kannel WB, Abbott RD, Savage DD, McNamara PM. Epidemiologic features of chronic atrial fibrillation: the Framingham study. N Engl J Med 1982;306: 1018-22. - PubMed
    1. Benjamin EJ, Levy D, Vaziri SM, D'Agostino RB, Belanger AJ, Wolf PA. Independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation in a population-based cohort: the Framingham heart study. JAMA 1994;271: 840-4. - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources