Invitation

The importance of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) as a health-care problem cannot be overestimated and its impact is increasing as the population of Europe ages. The complexity that underpins the arrhythmia often makes the choices for individual patient management difficult. Added to this is the fact that the AF substrate evolves over time in all patients with increasing risks especially for stroke. Its presence doubles the patients’ risk of death. Even for patients at low risk of stroke, AF significantly reduces quality of life and is associated with heart failure. It is important to remember that in this economically challenging time, AF is a prominent consumer of health care resources. In recognition of this, an entire session is dedicated to the economic issues with providing contemporary standards of care for AF.

The management of AF is complex because of its heterogeneity. Thus a wide variety of therapies exist that are often used in combination in a number of possible hybrids. These include strategies to control the heart rate, to restore and maintain sinus rhythm, to anticoagulate, to pace, or to offer various kinds of catheter ablation and surgical approaches. Selecting the most appropriate of these in each patient can be difficult.

The aim of Europe AF is ultimately to improve patient management by ensuring that the latest information on the mechanisms of AF, its clinical manifestations and the treatment of Atrial Fibrillation is presented to health-care professionals involved in delivering care to AF patients.
To make sure this is achieved, the talks will be given by an internationally renowned faculty of the world’s leading investigators in the field.

There have been a considerable number of new advances in drug treatments and interventional techniques in the last year and these will be featured prominently.

On the Sunday afternoon before the main meeting, there will be a course for EP fellows on ECGs and intra-cardiac EP tracings, not restricted to AF. This course was exceptionally highly regarded last year and attendees will be welcome to attend the main meeting afterwards.

On Monday there will be a parallel session for patients which will include the chance to directly question authorities in the field drawn from the faculty. Patients will also be welcome to attend the main scientific sessions.

Europe AF is intended to educate everyone including patients, cardiology trainees, general physicians, cardiologists, to specialist cardiac electrophysiologists and anyone affected in any way by atrial fibrillation.

We look forward to welcoming you to London in November 2010.

With Best Wishes,

Riccardo Cappato         Policlinico San Donato, Milan	Wyn Davies         St Mary's Hospital, London