Dear Readers
Welcome to the winter issue of 2013. Congratulations to Jeremy Ruskin MD and the organizing team on successfully concluding the 18th edition of Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium. Despite the beating cold weather the enthusiasm was unfettered from the participants as well as the speakers. The quality of the symposium was superb with live cases transmitted from MGH on the Lariat LAA ligation. It was good to see all the exciting stuff that the frontiers men in the field have been working on. As everyone agreed on the importance of accomplishing durable pulmonary vein isolation, there was significant debate on how to get there and therapeutic strategies for non-paroxysmal AF. Left atrial appendage related technology and the newer anticoagulants took the center stage. A special session on cardiovascular autonomics and its role in AF modulation was very informative. The three day premier event ended with an announcement to shift the venue down to Orlando, Florida starting next year. This was a bitter sweet moment for all of those who braved the Boston Winters for several years now. It has almost become a ritual for a lot of us to be in Boston every January against all odds. Boston we are going to miss you!
In the current issue we have some exciting work being presented. Khan et al published their data on postoperative AF prevention strategies. Abdulla and group shared their meta-analysis of the role of exercise in AF. This is complemented by a very nice editorial by Peter Stirbys. The Hopkins group has published three excellent featured articles covering various topics. Atrial defibrillators have almost become a forgotten bad dream. Deepak Bhakta and colleagues have presented a very comprehensive review of this historical strategy that had much promise but quickly proven to be problematic. Oral anticoagulation and antiarrhythmic drug reviews made the discussions more interesting. Deedwania et al provided amazing insights into where we stand on primary prevention of AF. Sanghmitra Mohanty and group outlined a very comprehensive review of the obesity-AF axis in a well written featured review article.
This obviously leads us into March. Both of us are very excited about our upcoming 1st International Symposium on Left Atrial Appendage on March 1st and 2nd in Kansas City, MO. Over a two day course, the entire science of LAA will be reviewed by the who’s who of this frontier science. There are live cases demonstrated from the University of Kansas Hospital and the Montreal Heart Institute. We look forward to seeing some of you in Kansas City.
See you all in Spring!!!
Warm regards
Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy MD, FACC, FHRS Associate Editor JAFIB
Andrea Natale MD, FACC, FHRS, FESC Editor-in-Chief JAFIB