Applies whatever the score Always
af-rhythm-controlNo one has reached this rule yetConsider early rhythm control, especially within a year of diagnosis
No clinician has signed off this rule yet. It reflects our reading of the guidelines cited below, which has not been independently checked.
Word for word, as generated for the example person below. Figures in the text are theirs.
Ask about rhythm control early rather than assuming rate control is the default — especially within the first year of diagnosis.
The older teaching was that keeping the rate down is as good as restoring normal rhythm. EAST-AFNET 4 changed that for recently diagnosed AF: starting rhythm control — antiarrhythmic drugs or ablation — within about a year of diagnosis reduced cardiovascular death, stroke, and hospitalization compared with usual care. Catheter ablation is more effective than drugs at maintaining rhythm, and more so in younger patients and in heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction, where it improves outcomes rather than just symptoms.
Outcome-provenTested in randomised trials measuring heart attacks, strokes, or death, not a stand-in for them.· Class I/2a· Level B-R· checked 2026-09-12
2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation · Class I / 2a depending on timing and setting
“Atrial fibrillation, blood thinner not yet discussed” — an illustrative profile, not a real user.
Asked after: Atrial fibrillation
Cited by the recommendations above.
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Runs in lib/engine/afPathway.ts as af-rhythm-control.