Introduction: Long-term post-stroke insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) implantation has resulted in increasing frequencies of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (PAF) detection in a significant proportion of cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) patients. Determining risk factors for PAF detection specific to the CIS population could allow for better selection of patients for ICM implantation. Methods: A retrospective study of CIS patients (n=95; mean age 65.9 years; 56.8% female) implanted with the Reveal LINQ ICM between September 2013 to July 2015. Device implantation was performed during, or soon after, index stroke admission. The study cardiac electrophysiologist confirmed PAF diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses compared clinical, laboratory, ECG and echocardiographic variables between patients with and without PAF. Results: PAF was detected in 22/95 (23.2%) patients. Factors associated with PAF detection include older age (mean (yr) 74.0 vs. 63.4; p=0.003), prolonged PR-interval (PR>175 ms; OR 3.88, 95% CI 1.28-11.7), mitral regurgitation (MR; OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.24-9.08), left atrial diameter (LA diameter mean (cm) 3.80 vs. 3.51; p=0.039), and left atrial volume index (LAVI mean (cc/m2); 32.8 vs. 25.0; p=0.037). Controlling for age in the multivariate logistic regression model, obesity (BMI>30; OR 4.80, 95% CI 3.50-9.60) and MR (OR 4.47, 95% CI 3.15-5.79) are independently associated with PAF detection. Conclusion: Long-term cardiac monitoring identified PAF in a substantial number of CIS patients. Older age, prolonged PR, MR, and larger LA diameter and LAVI are significantly associated with PAF diagnosis. Controlling for age, significant independent risk factors include obesity and MR. A larger prospective study is warranted to confirm these findings and to identify other possible risk factors. Ultimately, a risk factor based algorithm could enable better selection of CIS patients for ICM implantation.
Background: For several decades, aspirin (ASA) has been used as primary prevention against ASCVD in adults. In 2018, three major trials (ASPREE, ARRIVE, and ASCEND) redefined our understanding of ASA and showed a net harm rather than benefit when ASA is used for primary prevention of ASCVD. These trials greatly impacted the current 2019 ACC/AHA Primary Prevention Guidelines, which now recommend the following: (a) Low-dose ASA might be considered for primary prevention of ASCVD in select higher ASCVD adults aged 40-70 years who are not at increased bleeding risk and (b) Low-dose ASA should not be administered for primary prevention of ASCVD among adults over the age of 70. The objective of the project was to re-evaluate the use and indications of ASA in our patient population and appropriately remove ASA when no longer indicated. With proper resident education and intervention, we hypothesized that we could reduce the number of inappropriate ASA prescriptions by 10%. Methods/Results: During a 6-month observational period, 254 patients at Ryan Health/Adair (a federally qualified health center which also serves as a primary care site for an internal medicine residency clinic) were found to be taking ASA, and of those 140 patients were found to be on ASA for primary ASCVD prevention. The interventions included implementation of an algorithm that reflected the most up to date guidelines. The intervention lasted 3 months. Any patient that was found to be on ASA inappropriately was discontinued. During this period ASA was successfully removed from 25 patients’ medication list, with an overall reduction by 17.9%. Of the 25 patients, 20% were over the age of 70, 80% were between the ages of 40-70, and 48% were male. In the remaining 115 patients in which ASA was continued, 27.8% were over the age of 70, 69.6% were between the ages of 40-70, 2.6% were under the age of 40, and 49.6% were male. The successful ASA removal group comprised of 44% Hispanic/Latino, 44% African American, 4% White, and 8% Unidentified. The ASA non-removal group comprised of 34.8% Hispanic/Latino, 44.3% African American, 5.2% White, and 15.7% Unidentified. Additionally, 80% of the patient taken off ASA spoke English, while only 69.6% of patient in the ASA non-removal group spoke English. Conclusions: Several differences were found between the two groups. Some key limitations between the two groups included (a) unclear past medical history leading to physicians being uncomfortable with removing ASA, (b) inability to speak in patient’s native language to facilitate proper discussion about ASA removal, and (c) patient refusal to stop ASA. Next steps include further cardiac testing (CT coronaries, stress test) to better characterize the risk of patients with unclear history. However, overall, there is likely a net benefit in prioritizing ASA removal in the primary care setting now that it is no longer recommended in key populations.
Introduction: Long-term post-hospitalization cardiac monitoring has detected occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (PAF) in a substantial minority of cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) patients. Herein, we aim to better define the frequency and clinical significance of PAF detection using the Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitor in a population of CIS patients treated at a comprehensive stroke center. Methods: A retrospective consecutive series of CIS patients (n=95; mean age 65.9 years; 56.8% female) with no prior history of PAF had a LINQ placed during the index hospitalization, or soon thereafter, following a negative stroke evaluation. The study cardiac electrophysiologist confirmed the presence of PAF, and other potentially relevant cardiac arrhythmias, and the characteristics of the episodes and any changes in management were recorded. Results: PAF was detected in 22/95 patients (23.2%; atrial fibrillation (AF) 13; atrial flutter (A-flutter) 6; both 3). Median time to first episode was 26 days (range less than 1 day to 398 days). Median longest episode duration for AF was 2.4 hours (range 6 minutes to greater than 99 hours) and for A-flutter was 49 seconds (range 5 to 174 seconds). Antiplatelet therapy was switched to anticoagulation in 20/21 (95.2%) patients with known follow-up, including all newly diagnosed AF patients. Additional potentially relevant arrhythmias included sinus bradycardia (5/95; 5.3%), sinus pauses (5/95; 5.3%) and bigeminy (7/95; 7.4%). Conclusions: LINQ insertion during, or soon after, in-hospital stroke evaluation detected PAF in a substantial proportion of CIS patients with a higher frequency and earlier detection than previous studies. Most episodes were deemed clinically relevant, resulting in anticoagulation initiation in almost all patients. Long-term invasive cardiac monitoring following CIS may have important implications in terms of secondary stroke prevention and the detection of other potentially relevant arrhythmias.
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