Rate control strategies for atrial fibrillation

Rate control in atrial fibrillation.

Untreated atrial fibrillation is usually associated with a rapid, irregular ventricular response and is often accompanied by symptoms including palpitations, fatigue, dyspnea, and dizziness. It is widely accepted that slowing the ventricular response, both at rest and during activity, with the use of drugs that prolong the refractory period of the atrioventricular (AV) node (so-called rate-cont...

Rate control in atrial fibrillation.

Control of the heart rate (rate control) is central to atrial fibrillation management, even for patients who ultimately require control of the rhythm. We review heart rate control in patients with atrial fibrillation, including the rationale for the intervention, patient selection, and the treatments available. The choice of rate control depends on the symptoms and clinical characteristics of t...

Rate Control for Permanent Atrial Fibrillation

A brief history of rate control for atrial fibrillation. The first attempt to control the ventricular rate in a patient with atrial fibrillation (AF) was likely the description by William Withering of a patient whose pulse became “more full and more regular” after the administration of digitalis leaf in 1785 (1). In the 1931 edition of “Diseases of the Heart,” Sir Thomas Lewis (2) wrote that th...

Rhythm-control strategies were not better than rate-control strategies in atrial fibrillation.

Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation: Avoiding Morbidity.