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Purpose Of Review: Ischemic stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the world with cardioembolic stroke (CES) causing a disproportional amount of the morbidity and mortality associated with stroke. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the leading cause of CES, and as the population ages, the incidence of CES is anticipated to rise. The importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of patients with embolic-appearing stroke is significant due to the burden of disease and the severity of the illness.
Recent Findings: The past decade has seen an explosion of treatment options for patients with CES related to AF as well as better mechanisms by which to monitor and diagnose patients with AF. While optimal secondary prevention of stroke with anticoagulation in the setting of AF is known, what remains to be defined is the appropriate treatment of other types of strokes that appear embolic, but no source of the embolism is discovered. In this article, we will review what is known about the diagnosis and treatment of CES, discuss the emergence of novel therapeutics and emphasize what must be investigated in the future to move the field forward, such as the emerging concept of atrial cardiopathy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11940-019-0571-4 | DOI Listing |
Rev Med Suisse
August 2025
Service de cardiologie, HFR Fribourg - Hôpital cantonal, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in the elderly and often incidental. While anticoagulation is facilitated by risk-stratification scores, rate versus rhythm-control in the elderly and likely asymptomatic population remain challenging. We report an 80-year-old male with newly diagnosed slow AF, referred for an electrical cardioversion after amiodarone loading.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Environ Sci
August 2025
Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital Heart Center, Zhengzhou 451464, Henan, China.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death globally. HCM can precipitate heart failure (HF) by causing the cardiac tissue to weaken and stretch, thereby impairing its pumping efficiency. Moreover, HCM increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, which in turn elevates the likelihood of thrombus formation and stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Noninvasive Electrocardiol
September 2025
Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
Objective: To investigate two conditions that have been poorly investigated in the medical literature before in the context of atrial fibrillation: the coexistence and association of right or left bundle branch block and axis deviation in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation compared to the control group of healthy subjects with sinus rhythm.
Material And Methods: We conducted an analytic, retrospective observational study performed at Ziv Medical Center, Safed, Israel, collecting data from medical history records of all patients that have been diagnosed with permanent atrial fibrillation versus healthy controlled patients with normal sinus rhythm. We analyzed their ECGs in order to assess the presence of any bundle branch block and/or axis deviation.
ESC Heart Fail
September 2025
Institute of Cardiology, ASST Spedali Civili, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR) is an increasingly recognized subtype of mitral regurgitation, characterized by left atrial remodelling and mitral annular dilation in the absence of primary mitral valve disease or left ventricular dysfunction. Closely linked to chronic atrial fibrillation and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, AFMR is associated with poor clinical outcomes and represents a growing therapeutic challenge. This expert opinion paper summarizes current evidence on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management strategies, including medical therapy and emerging data supporting surgical and transcatheter interventions in selected patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKardiologiia
September 2025
National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia, the prevalence of which increases with age. Slowing down senescence is one of the urgent challenges of modern science. Therefore, it is important to identify individuals with markers of premature cellular senescence for further development of pharmacological agents capable of slowing it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF