The importance of interactions between atrial fibrillation and heart failure

Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are among the commonest cardiovascular conditions encountered in clinical practice and frequently coexist. Over the last decade, they have evolved into global cardiovascular epidemics. This, in turn, has huge clinical and economic implications. There is ample evidence that AF and HF have a mutually deleterious effect on each other. AF is not only a marker of HF severity but also affects HF prognosis independently. This article presents the close pathophysiological relationship between AF and HF and the adverse prognostic consequences of this bidirectional interaction. The scope of various therapeutic modalities and their potential impacts are discussed briefly.