Atrial High Rate Episodes (AHRE) are asymptomatic flurries of increased atrial rates detected by a cardiac implanted electronic device (CIED) in patients without history of clinical atrial fibrillation (AF). They are common, detected in around a third of hypertensive over 65-year-olds within the first 2.5 years of pacemaker implant (1). Their clinical significance is unclear. Should AHRE be seen as a precursor to AF? Do they contribute to thromboembolic risk? And if so, should we offer anticoagulation to these patients even in the absence of surface ECG confirmation of AF?
Authors Heartbeat Sub-Editor: Sandeep Singh Dr Sandeep Singh is a Cardiology Clinical Fellow at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. After graduating from India, he completed
Authors Heartbeat Sub-Editor: Khin Kay Kay Kyaw I am currently working as cardiology specialist registrar ST6 at southwest peninsula region while also working as an
Authors Heartbeat Sub-Editor: Anindya Mukherjee Dr. Anindya Mukherjee is a ST5 trainee registrar in Cardiology at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, UK, with extensive experience
Authors Sub-editor: Sameer Zaman Heartbeat Sub-Editor: Aleena Haider Aleena is an academic cardiology trainee at Imperial College London with a strong commitment to all aspects
Authors Sub-editor: Sameer Zaman Heartbeat Sub-Editor: Padraig O Drisceoil Dr Pádraig Ó Drisceoil is a Cardiology Speciality Trainee from the Wessex Deanery, who is currently an
