'Preferred' management of atrial fibrillation in Europe.

Abstract

This editorial refers to ‘Management of atrial fibrillation in seven European countries after the publication of the 2010 ESC guidelines on atrial fibrillation: primary results of the PREFER in AF Registry’ by P. Kirchhof et al ., on page 6. The PREFER in atrial fibrillation (AF) registry (PREvention oF thromboembolic events—European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation) is published in this issue of EP Europace by Kirchhof et al .1 It concerns baseline data relating to AF management following the publication of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for management of patients with AF in September 2010,2 collected from >7000 patients in seven European countries between January 2012 and January 2013. There have been previous surveys designed to address similar issues that were conducted partly in Europe, for example, the Registry on Cardiac Rhythm Disorders Assessing the Control of Atrial Fibrillation (RECORDAF)3,4 and Real-Life Global Survey Evaluating Patients With Atrial Fibrillation International Registry (RealiseAF),5,6 or were entirely European, notably the EuroHeart Atrial Fibrillation survey.7 In 2010, the ESC issued its first independent set of AF management guidelines. The previous guidelines had been published in 2006 by the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the ESC, and by 2010, major changes were necessary because of the fast rate of progress in this field of medicine. The new ESC guidelines introduced: