The incredible human spirit against a global pandemic!
Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy
On behalf of the editorial team we apologize for the significant delay in releasing this issue of the Journal of Atrial Fibrillation. COVID-19 has impacted our operations significantly. Hope you are all doing well. It is incredibly sobering to see that we have spent an entire year battling COVID-19. With millions of people across the globe infected and several hundreds of thousands being dead, this will go down as one of the darkest times in our lives. History will remember this for many things – our inability to handle a global pandemic, the rise of anti-science and the incredible human resolve to survive and sustain. While the governments across the world pander to the politics, the medical world continues to wage its war against this deadly enemy. My condolences to hundreds of our colleagues in healthcare who lost their lives in our continued battle against COVID-19. It is encouraging to see that there is a vaccine in sight and hopefully we will have handle on this scourgeover the next few months.
In this issue of the journal we have excellent articles for your reading. Understanding the atrial substrate that drives atrial fibrillation is the cornerstone in designing an appropriate therapeutic strategy. While the role of pulmonary vein triggers has been universally agreed upon and pulmonary vein isolation has become a standard approach to treating AF, there are several shortcomings to this strategy. Not every AF patient is the same and perhaps this strategy does not work for all. It is quite clear that the substrate changes within the atria are poorly understood. Manuscripts in this issue of JAFIB address that very question. The next frontier in AF therapeutics will be the understanding, assessment, and modification of atrial substrate through primary and secondary management strategies.
The Holiday season is coming up on us – take care of yourself, be safe and spent time with your loved ones while you take all the necessary precautions and safety measures.
Happy Holidays!!
Sincerely
Dhanunjaya (DJ)Lakkireddy MD, FACC, FHRS Editor-in-Chief JAFIB
