TY - JOUR
T1 - Atrial high-rate episodes and stroke prevention
AU - Camm, A John
AU - Simantirakis, Emmanuel
AU - Goette, Andreas
AU - Lip, Gregory Y H
AU - Vardas, Panos
AU - Calvert, Melanie
AU - Chlouverakis, Gregory
AU - Diener, Hans-Christoph
AU - Kirchhof, Paulus
N1 - © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - While the benefit of oral anticoagulants (OACs) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is well established, it is not known whether oral anticoagulation is indicated in patients with atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) recorded on a cardiac implantable electronic device, sometimes also called subclinical AF, and lasting for at least 6 min in the absence of clinically diagnosed AF. Clinical evidence has shown that short episodes of rapid atrial tachycarrhythmias are often detected in patients presenting with stroke and transient ischaemic attack. Patients with AHRE have a higher likelihood of suffering from subsequent strokes, but their stroke rate seems lower than in patients with diagnosed AF, and not all AHRE episodes correspond to AF. The prognostic and pathological significance of AHRE is not yet fully understood. Clinical trials of OAC therapy are being conducted to determine whether therapeutic intervention would be beneficial to patients experiencing AHRE in terms of reducing the risk of stroke.
AB - While the benefit of oral anticoagulants (OACs) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is well established, it is not known whether oral anticoagulation is indicated in patients with atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) recorded on a cardiac implantable electronic device, sometimes also called subclinical AF, and lasting for at least 6 min in the absence of clinically diagnosed AF. Clinical evidence has shown that short episodes of rapid atrial tachycarrhythmias are often detected in patients presenting with stroke and transient ischaemic attack. Patients with AHRE have a higher likelihood of suffering from subsequent strokes, but their stroke rate seems lower than in patients with diagnosed AF, and not all AHRE episodes correspond to AF. The prognostic and pathological significance of AHRE is not yet fully understood. Clinical trials of OAC therapy are being conducted to determine whether therapeutic intervention would be beneficial to patients experiencing AHRE in terms of reducing the risk of stroke.
U2 - 10.1093/europace/euw279
DO - 10.1093/europace/euw279
M3 - Review article
C2 - 27702868
SN - 1099-5129
VL - 19
SP - 169
EP - 179
JO - Europace
JF - Europace
IS - 2
ER -