Abstract
A major concern in cardioversion of newly detected atrial fibrillation is the risk of thromboembolic events. The vast majority of these events occur in the first week following cardioversion. Transesophageal echocardiography has demonstrated that thrombus and dense spontaneous echo contrast may occur in the left atrium and left atrial appendage in patients with acute atrial fibrillation (<48 hours) scheduled for cardioversion. Moreover, atrial function may become impaired immediately following successful cardioversion. The risk of thromboembolic events increases with the presence of stroke risk factors, such as heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, prior stroke, female sex and age above 65-75 years. Thus, the current guidelines of the ESC and ACC/AHA/Heart Rhythm Society recommend that patients with acute atrial fibrillation should undergo cardioversion under cover of unfractionated or low-molecular weight heparin followed by oral anticoagulation for at least 4 weeks in patients in patients at moderate-to-high risk for stroke. In line with the guidelines, new evidence from a large patient population suggests that after successful cardioversion of acute atrial fibrillation, patients have a low overall risk of thromboembolic events without any anticoagulation when they have no risk factors for thromboembolism. In contrast, the risk is in the range of 10% in patients with multiple classic risk factors for thromboembolism.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.