Registry of Atrial Tachycardia and Atrial Fibrillation Episodes in the cardiac rhythm management device population: the RATE Registry design.

Most atrial fibrillation is asymptomatic. In patients with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators, accurate documentation of asymptomatic episodes provides the opportunity to better understand atrial fibrillation burden and its clinical consequences. The Registry of Atrial Tachycardia and Atrial Fibrillation Episodes in the cardiac rhythm management device population (RATE) is designed to follow 5,000 patients with pacemakers, defibrillators, and resynchronization devices for 2 years. Demographic and initial clinical data will be correlated with atrial fibrillation burden and with other outcome measures relating to therapies and adverse events. The hypothesis of the RATE Registry is that there exists a definable burden of atrial fibrillation episodes in the RATE population that will be predictive of important clinical outcomes, including progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic atrial fibrillation (if any) or to sustained atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and risk of stroke.