Long-term supervised exercise reduces atrial fibrillation burden, trial finds
A Norwegian multicenter randomized trial (NEXAF) in 295 patients with non-permanent AF showed that a one-year exercise program—eight supervised high-intensity sessions upfront plus long-term home-based activity with digital monitoring—reduced AF burden by 45% at one year (3.9% vs 7.1%, p=0.016). AF-specific QoL did not differ significantly, but participants improved cardiorespiratory fitness and had lower resting heart rate. Hospitalisations dropped 37% overall and 46% for AF-related events. The hybrid model was resource-efficient and feasible, supporting broader adoption of structured exercise in AF care.