Updates on Pharmacologic Therapy for Management of Atrial Fibrillation

Monday, April 4, 2:00-3:30 PM

There is ongoing debate as to whether it's better to control rate or rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). There also are questions regarding where dabigatran, the new anticoagulant drug, fits into the scheme of patient management. Some EPs have already expressed optimism about dabigatran, with reservations about their own discomfort in having to trust the drug is thinning the blood adequately when they do not have to rely on constant INR checks.

Research into the genetic component of AF is heating up and this session will spend some time talking about gene therapy for AF. In addition, research into the role of inflammation in AF also is making headway. It seems that inflammation is systemic and underlying many pathologies in one way or another. Find out in this session about the use of anti-inflammatory drugs in AF.

With ablation being an increasingly viable option for those with AF, it's important that cardiologists and cardiac EPs are well-prepared to discuss the pros and cons of drug therapy. AF is a complex disease and it is even more complex to explain it thoroughly to patients. This session will go a long way to help you be better informed about the pharma side of AF.

Speaker information
  • Gerald V. Naccarelli, MD, Penn State University School of Medicine, Hershey, Pa. -- Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Therapy: Current and Emerging Drugs
  • Michael D. Ezekowitz, MD, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pa. -- Advances in Antithrombotic and Anticoagulation Therapy for Preventing Strokes
  • Mina Chung, MD, Cleveland Cleveland -- Role of Anti-Inflammatory Drug Therapy in the Management of AF
  • James A. Reiffel, MD, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York City -- Ongoing Innovations in Pharmacologic Therapy: Atrial Specific Anti-Arrhythmic Drugs
  • Patrick T. Ellinor, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston -- Gene Therapy for AF
  • Eric N. Prystowsky, MD, St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis -- Algorithm for Pharmacologic Management of AF in 2020

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