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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently defined as symptomatic by asking patients if they are aware of when they are in AF and if they feel better in sinus rhythm. However, this approach of defining AF as symptomatic and asymptomatic fails to adequately consider the adverse effects of AF in patients who are unaware of their rhythm including progression from paroxysmal to persistent AF, and the development of dementia, stroke, sinus node dysfunction, valvular regurgitation, ventricular dysfunction, and heart failure. Labeling these patients as asymptomatic falsely suggests that their AF requires less intense therapy and puts into question the notion of truly asymptomatic AF. Because focusing on patient awareness ignores other important consequences of AF, clinical endpoints that are independent of symptoms are being developed. The concept of AF burden has more recently been used as a clinical endpoint in clinical trials as a more clinically relevant endpoint compared to AF-related symptoms or time to first recurrence, but its correlation with symptoms and other clinical outcomes remains unclear. This review will explore the impact of AF on apparently asymptomatic patients, the use of AF burden as an endpoint for AF management, and potential refinements to the AF burden metric. The review is based on a presentation by the senior author during the 2023 16th annual European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society (ECAS) congress in Paris, France., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: This study aimed to describe the influence on dual-chamber devices' expected longevity of devices' settings. Methods: Data from patients implanted with dual chamber devices (Symphony™, SORIN CRM SAS, Clamart, France) from 2003 to 2006 were collected in registries. Programmer files were retrieved: device-estimated longevity, assessed through algorithm prediction, was analyzed according to device settings. Results: One thousand sixty-eight recipients of dual chamber pacemaker in sinus rhythm (75.3 ± 11.1 years, 54.5% male, ventricular block 30%, brady-tachy syndrome 21%, and sinus node dysfunction 49%) were followed up to 14.2 ± 12.1 months (ranging from first quartile Q1: 2.9 months to fourth quartile Q4: 49.3 months) after implantation. DDD with automatic mode conversion and minimized ventricular pacing (SafeR) modes were programmed in 34.3%, 2.9%, and 62.8% of the patients, respectively. The mean total longevity estimated by the device was 134.1 ± 31.5 months (11.2 ± 2.6 years). Significant increase in longevity was observed in devices undergoing at least one reprogramming (134.4 ± 31.4 months) versus device presenting no reprogramming (103.4 ± 32.3 months, P = 0.0005). The parameters associated with the major increase in mean longevity were the mode (mean longevity increase of +23.9 months in SafeR as compared to DDD mode, P < 0.0001) and the atrial (A) and ventricular (V) amplitudes (mean longevity increase of +29.6 and +26.9 months for a decrease of less than 1V in A and V outputs respectively, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: This study provides information on dual chamber pacemakers' longevity and highlights the impact of devices' reprogramming on expected longevities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]