Title:Editorial (Thematic Issue: Advances in The Therapy of Atrial Fibrillation: Incrementally Progressive But Not Without Missteps)
VOLUME: 10 ISSUE: 4
Author(s):James A. Reiffel
Affiliation:ECG Laboratory, 6th floor, Milstein Pavilion, The New York Presbyterian Hospital, 177 Fort Washington Ave., New York, NY 10032, USA.
Keywords:Atrial fibrillation, antiarrhythmic drugs, anticoagulants, dronedarone, vernakalant, factor Xa and direct thrombin
inhibitors.
Abstract:Advances in the therapy of atrial fibrillation (AF) have not come easily or quickly, despite the recognized need
for significantly better antiarrhythmic agents for AF termination and prevention as well as for more user-friendly anticoagulants
for the prevention of emboli in patients with AF. Rather, the road has been only slowly progressive and bumpy.
This manuscript will introduce the recent issues with dronedarone, the complex development story for vernakalant, and
the appearance of the new oral anticoagulants. Each of these three considerations will then be explored in more depth by
the invited experts for this “mini-Thematic issue” in Current Cardiology Reviews.
