Updated Guidance Issued for Atrial Fibrillation Management
An international panel comprising over 80 experts has released updated guidance aimed at improving care for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The new recommendations summarize discussions from the 10th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference.
Evolving Treatment Focus
The consensus report indicates a shift in AF treatment strategies. The focus is expanding beyond traditional stroke prevention to include the management of co-morbidities and the reduction of AF burden. Rhythm control therapies are identified as having an increasing role in patient management.
Key Recommendations and Approaches
The report advocates for integrated, patient-centered approaches to AF care. These approaches combine rhythm control, stroke prevention, and the use of AI-driven risk assessment tools. The objective of these strategies is to enhance patient outcomes and mitigate healthcare costs.
Dr. Emma Svennberg, a cardiologist from Stockholm, Sweden, and first author of the consensus paper, noted that AF treatment is undergoing a shift from an exclusive focus on stroke prevention toward managing concomitant co-morbidities and reducing AF burden. She highlighted that both rhythm control and the therapy of coexisting conditions remain underutilized, contributing to suboptimal patient outcomes and high healthcare expenditures.
Professor Paulus Kirchhof from Hamburg, Germany, AFNET board chair and one of the conference chairpersons, emphasized the growing role of rhythm control. He stated that it presents an opportunity to modify the disease trajectory by reducing AF burden and decreasing cardiovascular events. This development identifies a need for simple, safe, and effective rhythm control therapies. While catheter ablation continues to expand, many AF patients require pharmacological rhythm control as a primary or adjunctive method. The development of new antiarrhythmic drugs, optimization of existing ones, and new AF prevention methods are considered clinical priorities.
The report also highlights the potential of risk-driven strategies, quantitative traits, and artificial intelligence to refine risk estimation and personalize therapy.
Professor Andreas Goette from Paderborn, Germany, AFNET board member and co-chair, concluded that these collective efforts aim to achieve personalized, patient-centered, multimodal, and accessible AF management that integrates rhythm control, stroke prevention, and the treatment of concomitant conditions.
Conference Details
The 10th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference, held in May 2025, brought together experts from Europe, North America, and Australia. The conference received financial support from MAESTRIA under the EU Horizon 2020 program. Industry participants paid an attendance fee.