Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Peter Zimetbaum
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

In the Clinic7 December 2010Atrial FibrillationDeborah Cotton, MD, MPH, Darren Taichman, MD, Sankey Williams, MD, and Peter Zimetbaum, MDDeborah Cotton, MD, MPHSearch for more papers by this author, Darren Taichman, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Sankey Williams, MDSearch for more papers by this author, and Peter Zimetbaum, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-11-201012070-01006 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Editor's Note: This issue of In the Clinic has been updated.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common, clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia. It occurs when a diffuse and chaotic pattern of electrical activity in the atria suppresses or replaces the normal sinus mechanism, leading to deterioration of mechanical function. Atrial fibrillation is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditures; prevalence in the United States is 2.3 million cases and is estimated to increase to 5.6 million by the year 2050 (1). Atrial fibrillation is associated with a 5-fold increased risk for stroke and is estimated to cause ...References1. Kannel WB, Benjamin EJ. Current perceptions of the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation. Cardiol Clin. 2009; 27: 13-24. [PMID: 19111760] Google Scholar2. Hart RG, Benavente O, McBride R, Pearce LA. Antithrombotic therapy to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 1999;131:492-501. [PMID: 10507957] Google Scholar3. Benjamin EJ, Wolf PA, D'Agostino RB, et al. Impact of atrial fibrillation on the risk of death: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 1998;98:946-52. [PMID: 9737513] Google Scholar4. Page RL, Wilkinson WE, Clair WK, et al. 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First published online: August 29, 2010. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byIncreased inpatient mortality in patients hospitalized for atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter with concomitant amyloidosis: Insight from National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2016-2017Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes carrying an SCN5A mutation identify nitric oxide signaling as a mediator of atrial fibrillationGeriatricsAtrial FibrillationPeter Zimetbaum, MDSingle-lead portable ECG devices: Perceptions and clinical accuracy compared to conventional cardiac monitoring 7 December 2010Volume 153, Issue 11Page: ITC6-1KeywordsArrhythmiaAtrial fibrillationCardiovascular therapyDrug therapyDrugsHeartHeart failureStrokeThromboembolism ePublished: 7 December 2010 Issue Published: 7 December 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. 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