Taipei Declaration on Management of Atrial Fibrillation to Prevent Stroke

TAIPEI,Oct. 18,2018 -- After six years,the Taiwan Heart Rhythm Society (THRS) has the pleasure once again of welcoming the most important international medical conference in the Asia-Pacific region -- the 11th Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Session (APHRS 2018) in Taipei from October 17 to 20.

Taipei Declaration on Management of Atrial Fibrillation to Prevent Stroke (left to right Prof. Cheng Chen-chuan、Prof. Hein Heidbuchel、Prof. ChenMien-Cheng 、Prof. Chen Shih-Ann、Prof. Thomas F. Deering、Prof. Jonathan Kalman、Dr. Tze-Fan Chao)

This academic conference is the most important international gathering on arrhythmia in the Asia-Pacific region with more than 3,000 physicians and scholars from 56 countries in Europe,the United States,and beyond in attendance. In addition to an exceptional agenda,over one thousand abstracts from scholars worldwide will be presented to encourage experience sharing in arrhythmia management,and renowned professionals will deliver lectures in concurrent sessions held in 24 presentation halls.

This year's agenda has a number of highlights,including meeting chief editors of leading journals in cardiology and internationally acclaimed cardiologists who will share tips on medical paper writing. Also,a forum dedicated to young physicians and another to nursing technicians will be included,and a course of cardiac anatomy and an introduction to 3D printing and augmented reality will offer insights on the latest technologies. Augmented reality refers to a type of image analysis that combines virtual and realistic scenes on the same screen to help doctors during preoperative simulations. 3D printing provides detailed and clear information to enhance communication between physicians,patients,and their families. Smart medical treatments and artificial intelligence are also highlighted topics of the conference,and aim to help international experts and scholars better understand Taiwan's soft power in the field of heart rhythm medicine and medical information technology in recent years.

THRS has also called on overcoming the stagnancy on the stroke crisis resulting from atrial fibrillation in Taiwan. Patients suffering atrial fibrillation-related stroke have a high mortality rate and poor prognosis,and alarmingly,over 60 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation are not treated with anticoagulant therapy. Dr. Tze-Fan Chao from the Division of Cardiology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital pointed out that nearly 90% of patients with atrial fibrillation have not received stroke prevention treatments in the past. Fortunately in recent years,this proportion has been slowly decreasing as newer drugs have become increasingly available.

During this conference,Professor Shih-Ann Chen,the Congress President of APHRS 2018,and Professor Mien-Cheng Chen,President of THRS,and the President of the Heart Rhythm Society and the President of the European Heart Rhythm Association have signed and issued the Taipei Declaration,calling for the global treatment of atrial fibrillation and an increased commitment to stroke prevention. This is the first time in the world that a medical society has reached a consensus with the American and European medical societies on this important issue,marking an important collaboration to reduce the risk of stroke and improve the prognosis of patients with atrial fibrillation. It also highlights the important leading position of Taiwan's arrhythmia medical standards in the international arena.

Atrial fibrillation is very common finding in arrhythmia,with an annual increase of about 30,000 new patients in Taiwan. At present,the prevalence rate is approximately 1/100,meaning that there are about 260,000 patients with atrial fibrillation in Taiwan. The danger of the medical condition lies in the fact that reduced contractility of the atrium reduces blood flow and increases the risk of blood clot. Once the blood clot enters the brain,it can block blood vessels and cause a potentially fatal cerebrovascular accident.

Fortunately,atrial fibrillation-related cerebrovascular accidents can be prevented. Since the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation depends on a patient's age and physical condition,a risk assessment tools have been developed,and determining the risk of stroke using assessment tools is an important part of stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. For high-risk patients,it is critical to actively treat with anticoagulants for stroke prevention. Furthermore,atrial fibrillation can also be treated by catheter ablation.

Suffering from atrial fibrillation is not the end at all,but knowing the potential dangers can better protect the life of our patients. Therefore,we are ecstatic to announce the Taipei Declaration,an important step forward in treating atrial fibrillation and preventing strokes together at the global level! https://www.aphrs2018.tw/

Media Contact:

Kris Huang

Tel No. 886 2 55733008

EMAILkris@medhub.com.tw

http: www.medhub.com.tw

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