Atrial fibrillation: thinking beyond thromboembolism

This article refers to ‘Left atrial structure and function and the risk of death or heart failure in atrial fibrillation’ by R.M. Inciardi et al., published in this issue on pages xxx. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of ∼40% after age 55.1 In many cases incident AF is ‘secondary’, developing as a consequence of chronic heart failure (HF). The predisposition to AF in HF...