Concise review of atrial fibrillation: treatment update considerations in light of AFFIRM and RACE.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant arrhythmia seen by clinicians. Prevalence is as high as 9.0% in patients aged > or = 80 years, and incidence is projected to be more than 5.6 million patients in the U.S. by 2050. Recently, new trials have challenged the traditional belief that rhythm control is inherently superior to rate control in these patients. This article reviews the basic tenets of treatment for AF and discusses how new trial data integrate into these protocols. A concise treatment algorithm is provided and new and upcoming more aggressive interventional treatment options are discussed. This review is designed to help the general practitioner decide how to treat patients in the outpatient setting, evaluate which patients should be hospitalized for management, and which patients should be referred to a cardiologist.