2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation

ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines

30 Aug 2024

In this iteration of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) practice guidelines on AF, the task force has consolidated and evolved past approaches to develop the AF-CARE framework. Addressing [C] comorbidities and risk factors is placed as the initial and central component of patient management. This should be considered first as it applies to all patients with AF, regardless of their thromboembolic risk factors or any symptoms that might warrant intervention. This is followed by considering how best to [A] avoid stroke and thromboembolism, and then the options available to reduce symptoms, and in some cases improve prognosis, through [R] rate and rhythm control. [E] Evaluation and reassessment should be individualised for every patient, with a dynamic approach that accounts for how AF and its associated conditions change over time.

The task force developing the 2024 AF guidelines have made implementation a key goal by focusing on the underpinning evidence and using a consistent writing style for each recommendation (the intervention proposed, the population it should be applied to, and the potential value to the patient, followed by any exceptions). These initiatives have been designed to make the 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation easier to read, follow, and implement, with the aim of improving the lives of patients with AF.

Guidelines and related materials are for use by individuals for personal or educational purposes. No commercial use is allowed. Re-use permission must be correctly obtained from the publisher.

ESC Guidelines are protected by copyright. As per opt out option under Article 4 §3 of EU Directive 2019/790, the ESC reserves all rights to license uses of ESC Guidelines to train or develop generative artificial intelligence (AI) models, large language models or other deep learning or machine learning models. Any use of ESC Guidelines in software tools, generative AI models, computational models, or algorithms in which ESC Guideline content is included, cited, or transformed in any way requires a formal license agreement.

Topic(s):

Arrhythmias, General

Device Therapy

Atrial Fibrillation

Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy

Stroke

Arrhythmias and Device Therapy

Heart Failure

Endorsed by cardiac societies

Association of Cardiologists of Kazakhstan , Association of Cardiologists of Bosnia & Herzegovina , Armenian Cardiologists Association , Austrian Society of Cardiology , Azerbaijan Society of Cardiology , Belgian Society of Cardiology , British Cardiovascular Society , Bulgarian Society of Cardiology , Croatian Cardiac Society , Czech Society of Cardiology , Danish Society of Cardiology , Egyptian Society of Cardiology , Estonian Society of Cardiology , Finnish Cardiac Society , French Society of Cardiology , Georgian Society of Cardiology , German Cardiac Society , Hellenic Society of Cardiology , Hungarian Society of Cardiology , Irish Cardiac Society , Israel Heart Society , Italian Federation of Cardiology , Kyrgyz Society of Cardiology , Latvian Society of Cardiology , Libyan Cardiac Society , Luxembourg Society of Cardiology , Maltese Cardiac Society , National Society of Cardiology of North Macedonia , Polish Cardiac Society , Portuguese Society of Cardiology , Romanian Society of Cardiology , San Marino Society of Cardiology , Cardiology Society of Serbia , Slovak Society of Cardiology , Slovenian Society of Cardiology , Spanish Society of Cardiology , Swiss Society of Cardiology , Turkish Society of Cardiology , Ukrainian Association of Cardiology