Current Status and Research Progress of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in clinical practice, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and significantly increases the risks of death, stroke, heart failure and dementia. Over the past two decades, a series of breakthroughs have been made in areas such as risk prediction and screening diagnosis of AF, stroke prevention, rhythm control, catheter ablation and comprehensive management. To further promote the standardized management of AF and promptly and fully apply new technologies and concepts to clinical practice, Chinese Society of Cardiology (CSC) and Chinese Heart Rhythm Society (CHRS) organized experts to jointly formulate the "Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation", which elaborated on all aspects of AF management and provided a reference for standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment. However, the author believes that its treatment is confronted with problems such as side effects of Western medicine, high recurrence rate of surgery, and complex anticoagulation management, while traditional Chinese medicine has shown unique advantages through holistic dialectics and multi-target regulation. Integrated treatment of traditional Chinese and Western medicine can achieve synergistic effects, but currently there is a lack of systematic review and integration mechanism research and clinical evidence. This paper focuses on investigating the theoretical basis, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications of integrated Chinese-Western medicine in AF management, aiming to establish a foundation for therapeutic optimization.