Rate control versus rhythm control in AFFIRM

Results of the AFFIRM trial in which 4060 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) that was likely to be recurrent were randomly assigned to rhythm or rate control. The primary end point was overall mortality. There was an almost significant trend toward lower mortality with rate control (21.3 versus 23.8 percent, hazard ratio 0.87, 95 percent CI 0.75 to 1.01).