title: Atrial fibrillation in the elderly.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the United States, whose incidence is greatest in the elderly population. This rhythm disorder can be paroxysmal or chronic and is associated with a range of clinical conditions from palpitations and dyspnea to stroke and death. In the elderly the mainstay of treatment of atrial fibrillation should utilize drug therapy. The main goals of drug therapy should be effective rate control to avoid tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy, anticoagulation to reduce the risk of stroke and thromboembolism, and maintenance of sinus rhythm to prevent adverse atrial remodeling. In those patients in whom effective rate control cannot be achieved, catheter ablation of the atrioventricular node and implantation of a permanent pacemaker should be considered. Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation by targeting pulmonary venous foci or pulmonary venous isolation currently remains investigational and we advocate its use be limited to symptomatic patients who have failed traditional therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology Section, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. yadav@medicine.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Melvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheinman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004554:Electric Countershock; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013449:Sulfonamides; C031047:Teecura; C067192:ibutilide; D003404:Creatinine