PFO-mediated Stroke: Exposing the Misnomer of ‘Cryptogenic’ Stroke

We read with interest the recent article by Wintzer-Wehekind et al1. In an observational study of 453 consecutive patients who underwent PFO closure due to an ischemic event of no other apparent cause, the authors evaluated the safety of discontinuing antithrombotic therapy following PFO closure. At a median follow-up of 8 years, antithrombotic therapy was associated with a 6% incidence of bleeding, and the subset of patients who discontinued their blood thinners did not have more recurrent ischemic events on long-term follow-up.

Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - March 15, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Muhammad O. Zaman, Sanaullah Mojaddedi, Fabian Nietlispach, Bernhard Meier, Mohammad K. Mojadidi Source Type: research