Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38227804›Full record

ArticleEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2024

Current management of atrial fibrillation in routine practice according to the last ESC guidelines: an EHRA physician survey-how are we dealing with controversial approaches?

Jose M Guerra, Zoraida Moreno Weidmann, Laura Perrotta, Arian Sultan, Ante Anic, Andreas Metzner, Rui Providencia, Serge Boveda, Julian Chun

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed
12.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Edoxaban antithrombotic therapy in diabetic patients with atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease: the EPIC-CAD trial.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Trial
  2. Population reach and participation rate in opportunistic vs. systematic atrial fibrillation screening: STROKESTOP III.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Trial
  3. Comparison of the effectiveness and safety of dronedarone and amiodarone for preventing recurrence after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: an open-label randomized controlled trial.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Trial
  4. Prevalence and severity of atrial cardiomyopathy in patients with recently diagnosed atrial fibrillation and stroke risk factors and its association with early rhythm control: a secondary analysis of EAST-AFNET 4.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Trial
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Management of device-detected subclinical atrial fibrillation: a European Heart Rhythm Association survey.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Article
  8. Review
  9. When age meets genetics: refining heart failure risk prediction in young atrial fibrillation.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Article
  10. Practical compendium of antiarrhythmic drugs: a clinical consensus statement of the European Heart Rhythm Association of the European Society of Cardiology.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Educating healthcare professionals to improve AF-CARE: lessons from the ESC/EHRA STEEER-AF trial educational programme.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Article
  13. Arrhythmia care in ESC member countries: the 2025 ESC-EHRA atlas on heart rhythm disorders.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Article
  14. Persistent atrial fibrillation ablation: glimpsing the light ahead?Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Flecainide and atrial fibrillation cardioversion: what solutions at present and in the near future?Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Article
  18. Towards personalized therapy for atrial fibrillation: the rhythmic climbing of dronedarone.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 8 institutions in 7 countries.

Jose M GuerraDepartment of Cardiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, IR SANT PAU, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBERCV, Sant Antoni M. Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-5397-9177
Zoraida Moreno WeidmannDepartment of Cardiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, IR SANT PAU, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBERCV, Sant Antoni M. Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-1071-4077
Laura PerrottaArrhythmia Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4322-1183
Arian SultanDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1807-4860
Ante AnicDepartment for Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospital Centre, Split, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0002-6864-3999
Andreas MetznerDepartment of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6818-6396
Rui ProvidenciaElectrophysiology Department, Barts Heart Centre, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9141-9883
Serge BovedaDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Management, Clinique Pasteur, Toulouse, France.
Julian ChunCardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien (CCB), Medizinische Klinik III, Agaplesion Markus Krankenhaus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2355-6015
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · ESAgaplesion Bethanien Krankenhaus · DEAzienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi · ITSt Bartholomew's Hospital · GBUniversität Hamburg · DEUniversity of Cologne · DEUniversity of Split · HRVrije Universiteit Brussel · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsAlthough guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) are regularly published, many controversial issues remain, limiting their implementation. We aim to describe current clinical practice among European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) community according to last guidelines. METHODS AND

resultsA 30 multiple-choice questionnaire covering the most controversial topics related to AF management was distributed through the EHRA Research Network, National Societies, and social media between January and February 2023. One hundred and eighty-one physicians responded the survey, 61% from university hospitals. Atrial fibrillation screening in high-risk patients is regularly performed by 57%. Only 42% has access to at least one programme aiming at diagnosing/managing comorbidities and lifestyle modifications, with marked heterogeneity between countries. Direct oral anticoagulants are the preferred antithrombotic (97%). Rhythm control is the preferred strategy in most AF phenotypes: symptomatic vs. asymptomatic paroxysmal AF (97% vs. 77%), low vs. high risk for recurrence persistent AF (90% vs. 72%), and permanent AF (20%). I-C drugs and amiodarone are preferred while dronedarone and sotalol barely used. Ablation is the first-line therapy for symptomatic paroxysmal AF (69%) and persistent AF with markers of atrial disease (57%) and is performed independently of symptoms by 15%. In persistent AF, 68% performs only pulmonary vein isolation and 32% also additional lesions.

conclusionThere is marked heterogeneity in AF management and limited accordance to last guidelines in the EHRA community. Most of the discrepancies are related to the main controversial issues, such as those related to AF screening, management of comorbidities, pharmacological treatment, and ablation strategy.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationAnticoagulantsComorbidityHumansSotalolSurveys and QuestionnairesTreatment OutcomeAnticoagulantsSotalolAblationAntiarrhythmic treatmentAnticoagulationAtrial fibrillationClinical practiceComorbiditiesGuidelines

Identifiers

PMID38227804
PMCPMC10869216
OpenAlexW4390903602

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.