Atrial fibrillation: an epidemiologic, scientific and clinical challenge
Valentin Fuster
This article has no abstract so we have provided the first paragraph of the full text.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been classified into three main types: paroxysmal AF is intermittent, recurrent and usually self-terminating, with durations of 2 min to 7 days; persistent AF usually lasts more than 7 days and can be therapeutically cardioverted to sinus rhythm; permanent AF cannot be terminated by cardioversion or has been present for more than 1 year without attempted cardioversion. Advances in our understanding of AF can be described metaphorically by these classifications. From 1991, when the Framingham Heart Study disclosed the significant rate of AF in their population, to 2001, data were paroxysmal, with various important characteristics of AF beginning to recur in the literature. Since 2001, and after the publication of the ACC/AHA/ESC management guidelines, AF has become a persistent and permanent challenge, and four critical features deserve comment.
Full text of this article is available with one of the following:
- Personal subscription Purchase your own personal subscription to this journal. Already a subscriber? Please log in for immediate access.
- 7 day single article pass for US$18 In order to purchase this article you must be a registered user. Please register or log in.
- Site licence Learn more about institutional site licences
Current Subscribers
Please log in to access the full text article using the login box at the top of the page.
