Course Summary

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia experienced by patients and encountered by physicians and other medical providers. It has been estimated to affect nearly 35 million people worldwide and, due to its consequences, accounts for great personal and economic costs. While an entire textbook could be written and dedicated solely to the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation and related arrhythmias, this monograph is intended to outline the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, including risk factors, comorbidities, and definitions; arrhythmia recognition by history, physical examination, electrocardiography, and other diagnostic testing; as well as current options in the treatment and management of this important condition, in particular, Vitamin K-dependent and direct oral anticoagulants, pharmacologic agents, direct current cardioversion and approaches to rhythm control using catheter ablation techniques.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• I.              Introduction
• II.           Etiology, Prevalence and Pathogenesis of Atrial Fibrillation
  • 1.   Pathogenesis
• III.        Risk Factors of Atrial Fibrillation
  • 1.   Established Risk Factors
• IV.         Classification of Atrial Fibrillation
  • 1.   Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
  • 2.   Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
  • 3.   Long-standing, Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
  • 4.   Permanent Atrial Fibrillation
  • 5.   Non-valvular/Valvular Atrial Fibrillation
• V.            Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation
  • 1.   Electrocardiogram
  • 2.   Patient Physical Examination and History
• VI.         Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke
• VII.       Treatment of New Onset Atrial Fibrillation
  • 1.   Signs and Symptoms
  • 2.   Identifiable and Correctable Causes
  • 3.   Emergency or Immediate Cardioversion
• VIII.    Treatment of Persistent or Permanent Atrial Fibrillation
  • 1.   Rate Control or Rhythm Control
  • 2.   Pharmacologic Rhythm Control
  • 3.   Rate Control
  • 4.   Catheter Ablation
  • 5.   AV Node Ablation
  • 6.   Cox-Maze Procedure
• IX.         Prevention of Embolization
  • 1.   Assessment of Stroke Risk
  • 2.   Assessment of Bleeding Risk
  • 3.   Choosing an Anticoagulant
  • 4.   Antiplatelet Therapy
  • 5.   Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation
• X.            Summary

Author

Jon R. Sherman, MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI

Dr. Sherman earned his Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, and received his Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. After completing his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine, Dr. Sherman completed fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease and in Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Sherman has expertise in complex coronary interventions with extensive experience in cardiac catheterization, coronary angiography, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, coronary atherectomy and stenting, and intracoronary ultrasound, as well as nuclear cardiac imaging, echocardiography, cardiac arrhythmia detection and management, cardiac pacing, and cardiac rehabilitation. Dr. Sherman is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Cardiology, and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions.  He has been an Assistant Clinical Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of California, Irvine and University of California, Riverside, Schools of Medicine. After practicing in Fullerton, Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs, CA, Dr. Sherman currently  practices full time at Dignity Health St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, CA where he is the Medical Director of the Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, and Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, CA.