Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to present to you this focused issue of the ESC Congress 2015 in Review. The topic of arrhythmias was selected because of its increasing presence in our daily clinical practice and the therapeutic challenges it presents. The peer-reviewed highlights in this issue come from presentations at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2015 held in London, United Kingdom.

Village 4 of the congress venue was dedicated to the topic of arrhythmias. We encourage you to continue this scientific exchange with your colleagues by consulting the arrhythmias section of ESC Congress 365.

In this focused issue on arrhythmias, feature articles look at the use of catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation (AF) and explore clinical guidelines for pacing, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Selected updates address practical issues related to leadless, subcutaneous, and wearable ICDs, and address clinical questions around the use of novel oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular AF.

Among the Hot Line trials of importance in arrhythmias in this issue is the BELIEF study. Data from this trial showed that additional electrical isolation of the left atrial appendage may improve freedom from AF without increasing treatment-related complications. Results from the EAST-AF study found that the addition of antiarrhythmic drugs for 90 days after treatment with radiofrequency catheter ablation did not reduce arrhythmia recurrence rates in AF patients at one year.

We hope that the articles and practical perspectives presented in ESC Congress 2015 in Review will offer you new insights into several areas of treatment of patients with AF. To access ESC Congress content (videos, slides, abstracts, and congress reports) all year long, visit us online at www.escardio.org/365.

We wish you all the best in the coming year and hope to see you in Rome for ESC Congress 2016. For more information, please visit www.escardio.org/esc2016.