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Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure: Diagnosis, Risk Stratification, and Clinical Management

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Cardiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2026 | Viewed by 113

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Cardiology, Kantonsspital Lucerne, Heart Center Lucerne, Spitalstrasse 16, 6002 Lucerne, Switzerland
Interests: cardiac electrophysiology; cardiac resynchronisation therapy; left bundle area pacing; conduction system pacing; sudden cardiac death; lead extractions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) frequently coexist and are associated with increased risks of hospitalization, stroke, and mortality. Their coexistence complicates clinical management, particularly in relation to rhythm versus rate control, anticoagulation, and the optimization of heart failure therapy.

This Special Issue focuses on clinically relevant aspects of AF and HF, including diagnosis and phenotyping, risk stratification, and evidence-based management strategies. Topics of interest include anticoagulation in complex patients, integration of guideline-directed medical therapy, patient selection for catheter ablation, and management of acute and chronic HF in the presence of AF.

We welcome original clinical studies, real-world data analyses, and systematic reviews that provide actionable insights into patient management and clinical outcomes. Submissions addressing risk prediction, imaging, and biomarkers with direct clinical applicability are also encouraged.

Dr. Christian Grebmer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • atrial fibrillation
  • heart failure
  • clinical management
  • risk stratification
  • anticoagulation
  • catheter ablation
  • guide-line-directed therapy
  • clinical outcomes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

26 pages, 4016 KB  
Review
Atrial Fibrillation Risk Management and Emerging Therapies
by Megan Vaughan, Banveet Kaur and Nishaki K. Mehta
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(12), 4612; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15124612 (registering DOI) - 14 Jun 2026
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia worldwide. Accompanying the increasing age of the general population, as well as an increase in underlying cardiovascular disease in the United States, is an explosive rise in the incidence and prevalence of this condition. We [...] Read more.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia worldwide. Accompanying the increasing age of the general population, as well as an increase in underlying cardiovascular disease in the United States, is an explosive rise in the incidence and prevalence of this condition. We reviewed observational cohort studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine both underlying risk factors and treatment of AF, with particular focus on comorbid conditions influencing treatment success. Numerous studies have demonstrated a reciprocal relationship between maladaptive cardiac remodeling and AF, with the suggestion that aggressive management of both AF itself and resultant cardiovascular disease can lead to reversal of both conditions. Ultimately, many modifiable risk factors for AF exist, with treatment delays associated with a shift towards these conditions becoming unmodifiable. While a large area of focus for AF research has been on determining the optimal pharmacological strategy (i.e., rate versus rhythm control), results have been mixed, with emerging guidelines now pointing towards a flexible treatment strategy that allows for consideration of patient comorbid conditions, medication ease and affordability, and patient preference. Treatment of AF also includes prevention of thromboembolic events. In recent years, novel strategies for surgical or physical occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) with devices such as the Watchman have arisen. Multiple large RCTs have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of these devices, but consideration must be given towards the patient’s bleeding risk, as short-term courses of blood thinners are still considered the standard of care. Finally, emerging therapies for AF include novel drug combinations, neuromodulation devices, and potentially glucagon-like peptide receptor-1 (GLP-1) agonist medications for reduction in overall metabolic disease. Full article
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