What are the effects of long-term treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs on death, stroke, drug adverse effects, and recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in people who have recovered to sinus rhythm after cardioversion of AF?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cardiac arrhythmias. Estimates show that more than 10 million people worldwide will be diagnosed with AF by 2030. People in whom AF is left untreated or not managed appropriately have an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and death.1  Atrial fibrillation disrupts the normal heart rhythm with periods of quivering and irregularity, often with tachycardia. This irregularity causes dyssynchrony between the atrium and ventricles, affecting both the filling and the pumping mechanisms. These impaired mechanisms in turn can result in blood pooling that can lead to the formation of blood clots, which can potentially lead to a stroke.2 

For patients in whom AF does...

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