Ján Kmec, Miroslav Slanina, Anna Eliášová
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a supraventricular arrhythmia, whose prevalence and incidence increase with age. AF is associated
with a twofold risk of death, with increased risk of stroke, thromboembolism and heart failure. Management
of patients with AF is aimed at reducing symptoms and prevention of severe complications associated with AF. Management
of AF requires to identify and treat the associated and causal factors of arrhythmia, decide on the rate control
or rhythm control, and ensure the prevention of tromboembolism. Rate control should be the initial approach in elderly
patients with AF and minimal symptoms. Rhythm control as the initial approach should be considered in young
symptomatic patients. Antiarrhythmic drugs are still the main therapeutic agents for the treatment of patients with
atrial fibrillation, the substrate modifying treatment that prevents the structural remodelling process, can be effective
in maintaining sinus rhythm.