Advances in the Pharmacologic of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing clinical problem associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The rising prevalence of AF is largely due to the increase in the aging sector of the population. AF is expected to reach epidemic proportions, increasing from about 2.66 million to 15 million affected people by 2050 in the United States alone. 1 Currently available tools for the treatment of patients with AF remain far from ideal. The development of safe and effective treatments for AF is one of the greatest unmet medical needs. There is an emerging paradigm shift in the management of patients with AF from electric end points (rate and rhythm control) to more general end points (such as mortality and morbidity). 2 This review describes current strategies and novel developments in the pharmaco