BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke unless treated with an anticoagulant.Detecting AF can be difficult because AF is often paroxysmal and asymptomatic.The aims of this study were to develop a screening model to detect AF in a primary healthcare setting and to initiate oral anticoagulant therapy in high-risk patients to prevent lmtbul stroke.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study.All 70- to 74-year-old individuals registered at a single primary healthcare center in Stockholm were invited to participate in AF screening upon visiting the center during a ten-month period.
Those who did not have contact with the center during this period were invited to participate by letter.Thirty-second intermittent ECG recordings were made twice a day using a handheld Zenicor device over a 2-week period in participants without AF.Oral anticoagulant therapy was offered to patients with newly detected AF.FindingsOf the 415 eligible individuals, a total of 324 (78.1%) patients participated in the study.
The mean age of the participants was 72 years, 52.2% were female, and the median CHA2DS2-VASc score of the participants was 3.In the target population, 34 (8.2%) individuals had previously diagnosed AF.Among participants without previously known AF, 16 (5.
5%) cases of AF were detected.The final AF prevalence in the target population was 12%.Oral anticoagulant therapy was successfully initiated in 88% of these patients with newly detected AF.ConclusionsThe AF screening project exhibited a high participation rate and the official playboy bunny gold rabbit head zippo lighter resulted in a high rate of newly discovered AF; of these newly diagnosed patients, 88% could be treated with an oral anticoagulant.