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?
Author Sub-editor: Dr Joshua Rowland Dr Joshua Rowland is a cardiology registrar working in the North West Deanery. He graduated from the University of Manchester
Author Sub-editor: Dr Atmadeep Banerjee Dr Atmadeep Banerjee is an ST4 Cardiology Registrar in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex deanery. He graduated from Calcutta National
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