© Christian Sticherling, Michael Kühne 2023
Atrial
fibrillation
(AF)
is
the
most
common
cardiac
arrhythmia
in
the
general
population.
Due
to
the
demographic
change
with
increasing
life
expectancy,
the
occurrence
of
AF
is
expected
to
further
increase
in
the
near
future.
Patients
suffering
from
AF
are
at
risk
for
serious
complications,
such
as
a
4-5
fold
higher
risk
of
stroke,
and
a
more
than
10-fold
higher
risk
of
heart
failure
compared
to
individuals
without
AF.
In
addition,
recent
studies
found
a
reduced
quality
of
life
and
increased
risk
of
cognitive
impairments and dementia among AF patients.
Hence,
AF
has
become
a
major
public
health
problem
in
Switzerland.
Improving
treatment
strategies
that
minimize
the
risk
of disabling events such as stroke, heart failure or dementia
in
this
growing
patient
population
will
therefore
have
a
substantial
positive impact on public health. Further, improving medical
care and clinical outcomes holds a great potential of being
cost-effective
or
even
cost-saving,
as
these
factors
are
significantly associated with costs of care.
Introduction
Swiss-AF is funded by the Swiss
National Science Foundation
(SNSF).