Arrhythmia-directed management strategies
Beta-blockers were the most often used among rate control drugs (82.3%), followed by digoxin (36.6%). Amiodarone was the most commonly used anti-arrhythmic agent (49.7%), followed by propafenone (24.3%), Table 3.
Electrical cardioversion (ECV) was the most commonly used among non-pharmacological therapies of rhythm control (10.8%), followed by AF catheter ablation (6.7%). Surgical ablation was not widely chosen (0.1%). Propafenone was used in approximately 10% of patients with structural heart disease, Figure 2.
Patients with rhythm control were managed less often with loop diuretics and polypharmacy (defined as the use of five or more drugs [24]), (both p < 0.001), Table 3.