Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common supraventricular tachycardia, affecting over 2 million patients, and is associated with 100,000 new strokes per year. Data from large, long-term epidemiologic studies such as the Framing-ham Heart Study show a strong link between AF, stroke, congestive heart failure, and mortality. In addition, the expected rise in the elderly population in Western countries will cause an increase in the clinical burden of AF. Historically, AF has been treated by pharmacological rate and/or rhythm control in combination with chronic oral anticoagulation medication to reduce the risk of embolic phenomena. Large-scale randomized control trials have shown that rhythm control with antiarrhythmic drugs is not superior to a strategy of rate control, most likely owing to the proarrhythmic risk and poor efficacy of contemporary antiarrhythmic drugs. These findings have increased the need for better pharmacological approaches for the treatment of AF.
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