💓 Paroxysmal vs Persistent vs Permanent AFib Classification Simulator

Paroxysmal AFib — Episodes That End Themselves

Short placeholder: episodes self-terminate within seven days, often within hours.

• <7 days: Episode duration (usually under 24 hours)
• Spontaneous: Conversion mode (no intervention needed)
• ~50%: Recurrence rate (placeholder estimate)
• Ectopic foci: Typical trigger (often pulmonary veins)

Definition and mechanism

Placeholder: brief self-limited bursts of irregular atrial activity.

Persistent AFib — Beyond Spontaneous Recovery

Short placeholder: sustained rhythm lasting over seven days, needing cardioversion.

• >7 days: Episode duration (does not self-terminate)
• Cardioversion: Intervention (electrical or pharmacologic)
• ~70%: Success rate (placeholder estimate)
• High: Recurrence risk (placeholder estimate)

Definition and management

Placeholder: requires active termination rather than watchful waiting.

Long-Standing Persistent AFib — Over 12 Months

Short placeholder: continuous rhythm disturbance lasting more than a year.

• >12 months: Duration (continuous arrhythmia)
• Advanced: Atrial remodeling (placeholder estimate)
• ~40%: Cardioversion success (placeholder estimate)
• Rate control: Strategy shift (placeholder note)

Definition and remodeling

Placeholder: prolonged duration drives structural atrial changes.

Permanent AFib — Rhythm Control Abandoned

Short placeholder: arrhythmia accepted, focus shifts to rate control.

• Abandoned: Rhythm control (joint decision)
• Rate control only: Strategy (placeholder note)
• Lifelong: Anticoagulation (stroke prevention)
• None accepted: Reversibility (placeholder estimate)

Definition and acceptance

Placeholder: a joint clinical decision, not a strict duration cutoff.

Progression Risk — From Paroxysmal Toward Permanent

Short placeholder: AFib often advances stepwise with time since diagnosis.

• ~15%/yr: Progression rate (placeholder estimate)
• ~25%: 5-yr permanent risk (placeholder estimate)
• Atrial fibrosis: Key driver (placeholder note)
• Early rhythm control: Prevention (placeholder note)

Why AFib progresses

Placeholder: fibrosis and remodeling entrench the arrhythmia over years.