title: Rate Versus Rhythm Control for Atrial Fibrillation.
abstract: Treatment of patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) with antiarrhythmic drug therapy in general improves their symptom scores and exercise tolerance; however, large randomized trials have failed to show a mortality benefit with a rhythm-control compared with a rate-control strategy. Catheter ablation in patients who have failed or not tolerated medical therapy has been shown to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. However, catheter ablation cannot undo the structural remodeling that contributed to the arrhythmia in the first place. Patients should be alerted to modifiable factors that may decrease the likelihood of unchecked structural remodeling and AF recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Hospitals, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, SPC 5853, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5853, USA.
authors.forename: Colby
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Halsey
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Hospitals, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, SPC 5853, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5853, USA. Electronic address: achugh@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Aman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chugh
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Heart; Rate; Rhythm