Medication management of atrial fibrillation: emerging therapies for rhythm control and stroke prevention.
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common dysrhythmia in North America, affecting approximately 2.2 million people. The lifetime risk of AF in individuals 40 years of age and older is 26% for men and 23% for women.1 AF is associated with approximately a five-fold increased risk of stroke, and it accounts for 1.5% of strokes in people 50 to 59 years of age and for 23.5% of strokes in those who are 80 to 89 years of age.1–3
Management of AF includes the use of medications to control ventricular rate and to restore or maintain normal sinus rhythm (NSR), as well as the use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy to minimize the risk of thromboembolic events. At this time, no ideal antiarrhythmic or anticoagulant agent exists. Current antiarrhythmic agents are limited by their less than optimal effectiveness, their side-effect profile, and the potential for numerous drug interactions. Warfarin (Coumadin, Bristol-Myers Squibb), which is used to minimize the risk of thromboembolic events, is also limited by its adverse-effect and drug-interaction profile. These factors have led to the development of alternative antiarrhythmic and anticoagulant agents and to the increased use of nonpharmacological strategies for the management of AF.
In this article, we review the general treatment approaches for the management of AF and discuss both newly approved medications and those under investigation for the chronic management of AF.
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Authors: Emily Knapp, Kristin Watson
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2298100333