Insights into management of atrial fibrillation in Asia Pacific gained from baseline data from REgistry on Cardiac rhythm disORDers (RecordAF-Asia Pacific [AP]) registry

The burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) and the lack of data on AF and its management in the Asia Pacific highlight the need for a comprehensive prospective study of AF management in this region. To address this need, the REgistry on Cardiac rhythm disORDers (RecordAF-Asia Pacific [AP]) has been initiated to assess the management of AF in 8 countries across the Asia Pacific. RecordAF-AP is a prospective, observational survey of the management of recently diagnosed AF with 1 year of follow-up. Eligible patients with AF, treated or not, were included in the registry; with data recorded prospectively during the follow-up visits at 6 and 12 months. A total of 2,721 patients with AF were recruited, of whom 2,629 were eligible for evaluation (intent-to-treat population). At study inclusion, rhythm- and rate-control strategies were applied to 37% (n = 959) and 62% (n = 1,610) of the patients, respectively. At baseline, the rhythm-control patients were mainly prescribed class III agents (49%), class Ic agents (39%), or β blockers (except for sotalol; 35%). The rate-control patients were mainly prescribed β blockers (except for sotalol; 57%) or cardiac glycosides (32%). Patients receiving rate-control strategies were more likely to have a history of heart failure or valvular heart disease and persistent AF. In contrast, those receiving rhythm-control strategies were more likely to have recently diagnosed or paroxysmal AF. In conclusion, RecordAF-AP will provide much needed insight into the real-life management of patients with AF in the Asia Pacific region.