Patient preferences at ten years following initial diagnosis of atrial fibrillation: the Belgrade Atrial Fibrillation Study

BACKGROUND Many atrial fibrillation (AF) patients have a poor understanding of the management of this condition. We investigated patient attitudes towards AF and a potential invasive treatment following an average 10-year period of prospective rhythm control in a cohort of newly diagnosed AF patients. METHODS This was a prospective registry-based study. At the regular annual visit in 2007, patients were asked at random to answer several AF-related questions. RESULTS Of 390 patients, 277 (71.0%) reported symptom reduction over time, but only 45 (11.5%) reported that they had "got used" to AF; 201 patients (51.5%) stated they would always prefer sinus rhythm, and 280 (71.2%) would accept an invasive AF treatment. Independent predictors for choosing an invasive procedure were younger age, impaired career/working capacity, and male gender (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that most AF patients prefer sinus rhythm and would readily accept an invasive procedure if it offered the possibility of a cure for their AF.