Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation – Long-term Follow-up of Cardiovascular Events

Abstract

The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) was around 1.5 per 1000 person-years in Taiwan. Systemic thromboembolism is the most severe complication of AF. Risk stratification and adequate thromboembolism prophylaxis is the cornerstone of treatment in AF patients. The CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score is powerful in selecting “truly low-risk” patients who are not necessary to receive anticoagulation therapies. It is also useful in predicting thromboembolic events and mortality for patients undergoing AF ablation. Recently, more and more biomarkers and imaging parameters were reported to be associated with adverse events in AF patients. How could these biomarkers and imaging tools change the current strategy of stroke prevention in AF deserves further investigations.