Virchow triad and beyond in atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of arrhythmia in adults, is associated with a 5-fold increase in the incidence of ischemic stroke. Stroke in patients with AF is believed to be mostly cardioembolic caused by left atrial thrombi and is an important cause for hospitalizations and cardiovascular deaths. Although various kinds of direct oral anticoagulants have been developed and used for the prevention hopefully decreasing this fateful event, more knowledge about the left atrial thrombi would be required to improve and refine the pharmacological stroke prevention in AF.
Source: Heart Rhythm - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Commentary Source Type: research