Arrhythmias articles from across Nature Portfolio

The burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing worldwide; however, most existing data on AF epidemiology are from Western regions. According to our analyses, the estimated absolute prevalence of AF in the Asia–Pacific region in 2023 was approximately 80 million, which is much higher than has been calculated for other global regions.

A resident memory T cell subpopulation that infiltrates epicardial adipose tissue is expanded in patients with atrial fibrillation and may affect cardiomyocyte physiology.

The advent of pulsed-field ablation — a series of ultra-rapid, high-energy pulses that result in non-thermal cell death via electroporation — is revolutionizing the field of atrial fibrillation ablation. Data on first iterations of the technology indicate that safety and efficacy are at least similar to that of thermal ablation but with meaningfully shorter procedure duration.

Treatment for periodontal disease might reduce the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing ablation, suggesting that periodontitis is a modifiable risk factor for AF.

Rebecca Gilchrist discusses the study that demonstrated the long-term modulation of ventricular repolarization by the sequence of electrical activation in the human heart and established the concept of cardiac memory.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia and imposes a substantial burden on patients and health-care providers. Clinical evidence suggests that antiarrhythmic therapy to restore and maintain sinus rhythm (rhythm control) can reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation. As a result, a paradigm shift towards rhythm control over rate control therapy is emerging, increasing the clinical need for effective and safe antiarrhythmic drugs.