Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 31, 2025

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
08:10

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: July 20, 2022

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[Atrial fibrillation]

Renate B Schnabel, Andreas Rillig, Paulus Kirchhof1

  • 1Klinik und Poliklinik für Kardiologie, Universitäres Herz- und Gefäßzentrum UKE Hamburg, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Deutschland. p.kirchhof@uke.de.

Der Internist
|June 29, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Atrial fibrillation management can reduce severe risks like stroke. Early rhythm control, including catheter ablation, improves quality of life compared to antiarrhythmic drugs.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia with serious consequences including stroke, cardiovascular death, and heart failure.
  • Effective management involves anticoagulation, treating comorbidities, and early rhythm control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the benefits of early rhythm-preserving treatment in atrial fibrillation patients.
  • To compare catheter ablation with antiarrhythmic agents for rhythm control and quality of life.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current treatment strategies for atrial fibrillation.
  • Comparison of outcomes between catheter ablation and antiarrhythmic drug therapy.

Main Results:

  • Catheter ablation demonstrates superior preservation of sinus rhythm compared to antiarrhythmic agents.
  • Symptomatic atrial fibrillation patients experience improved quality of life with catheter ablation.

Conclusions:

  • Early rhythm-maintaining treatment is crucial for managing atrial fibrillation.
  • Catheter ablation should be considered in the early treatment plan for symptomatic atrial fibrillation patients due to better rhythm and quality of life outcomes.

Keywords:
Antiarrhythmic therapyAnticoagulantAtrial fibrillationCatheter ablationStroke

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