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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
An international panel of experts published recommendations to improve care of atrial fibrillation patients. The paper summarizes the results of the 10th AFNET/EHRA consensus conference – a two-day meeting of more than 80 renowned experts from academia and industry in May 2025 which was jointly organized by the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA). On 15 December 2025, the consensus report was published in the EP Europace journal (1).
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with stroke, heart failure, and other severe complications. It affects several million people worldwide and is a growing unmet medical need in an aging population.
During the 10th AFNET/EHRA consensus conference the invited scientists pooled their interdisciplinary knowledge on AF management and research and discussed new perspectives for better care. They identified knowledge gaps and key research priorities. The essence of their discussions is summarized in this consensus report.
Dr. Emma Svennberg, cardiologist from Stockholm, Sweden, and first author of the consensus paper, explained: “AF treatment is undergoing considerable shift from an exclusive focus on stroke prevention to management of concomitant co-morbidities and AF burden reduction. However, both rhythm control and therapy of coexisting conditions remain underused, and patients with AF continue to experience poor outcomes with associated high healthcare costs. This underscores the need for streamlined treatment to target risk factors, AF burden and rhythm.”
Prof. Paulus Kirchhof, Hamburg, Germany, AFNET board chair and one of the four chairpersons of the consensus conference, stated: “The growing role of rhythm control as a treatment with the potential to modify the disease trajectory by reducing AF burden and to reduce cardiovascular events creates a new unmet need for simple, safe, and effective rhythm control therapies. While catheter ablation continues to expand, many patients with AF will require pharmacological rhythm control therapy, either as a primary or adjunctive approach. Development of new antiarrhythmic drugs, optimizing the use of existing antiarrhythmic drugs and new methods to prevent AF remain clinical imperatives.”
The consensus report furthermore describes quantitative traits that may enable a shift towards risk-driven therapy strategies that are safe, accessible, and patient-centred. Applying artificial intelligence methods can further improve risk estimation and personalized therapy selection.
Prof. Andreas Goette, Paderborn, Germany, AFNET board member and co-chair of the consensus conference, concluded: “Together, these efforts offer pathways towards personalized, patient-centred, multimodal and accessible AF management that integrates rhythm control, stroke prevention, and therapy of concomitant conditions to bridge today’s practical needs with tomorrow’s therapeutic innovation.”
Prof. Jose Luis Merino, Madrid, Spain, past-president of EHRA and co-chair of the 10th AFNET/EHRA consensus conference, said: “For many years, the AFNET/EHRA consensus conferences have been an important forum for international cooperation among recognized experts in the field of atrial fibrillation. We believe that the recommendations of this expert panel will help to optimize AF therapy and improve the outcomes of many AF patients in the world.”
Participants of the 10th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference came from Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia. The meeting was chaired by the four cardiologists Prof. Andreas Goette and Prof. Paulus Kirchhof, both from AFNET, and Dr. Emma Svennberg and Prof. Jose Luis Merino, both from EHRA.
The conference was organized by AFNET and EHRA with financial support from MAESTRIA which is funded under European Union's (EU) Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant number 965286). Industry participants paid an attendance fee.
References
(1) Svennberg E et al. Transforming Atrial Fibrillation Management by Targeting Comorbidities and Reducing Atrial Fibrillation Burden: the 10th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference. Europace, 15 Dec 2025. DOI: 10.1093/europace/euaf318
About the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET)
The Atrial Fibrillation NETwork is an interdisciplinary research network comprising scientists and physicians from hospitals and practices dedicated to improving the management of atrial fibrillation through coordinated research in Germany, Europe, and worldwide. Its main objective is to conduct high quality investigator-initiated clinical trials and registries on a national and international level as well as translational research projects. The AFNET continues the long-term activities of the network which has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education over a decade. Since January 2015, specific projects and infrastructures of the AFNET are funded by the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), and some projects by EU research grants. AFNET has long expertise in the management of atrial fibrillation, but also provides support for work in other fields informing cardiovascular care. The results of 20 years of clinical and translational research improved the lives of patients with cardiovascular diseases and influenced treatment guidelines.
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Svennberg E et al. Transforming Atrial Fibrillation Management by Targeting Comorbidities and Reducing Atrial Fibrillation Burden: the 10th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference. Europace, 15 Dec 2025. DOI: 10.1093/europace/euaf318
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