Hämmerle P, Eick C, Blum S, et al. - Whether parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) may be predictive of cardiovascular mortality in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF), was investigated in this study. A total of 1,922 patients who were in sinus rhythm or AF were enrolled from the multicenter prospective Swiss‐AF (Swiss Atrial Fibrillation) Cohort Study. A reduced HRV index ≤ median (14.29), but not other HRV parameters, was shown to be related to a rise in the risk of cardiovascular mortality and all‐cause mortality in a Cox regression model incorporating multiple covariates. According to the findings, in a cohort of patients with AF, cardiovascular death was independently predicted by the HRV index measured in a single 5‐minute ECG recording. Experts suggested the likely usefulness of HRV analysis in patients with AF for the purpose of further risk stratification to guide patient management.