Incidence of MRI-detected brain lesions and neurocognitive function after electrical cardioversion in anticoagulated patients with persistent atrial fibrillation

Long‐term follow up of 3 T MRI‐detected brain lesions after percutaneous catheter‐based left atrial appendage closure

“…Values >26 are deemed as physiological. This value is often seen in the baseline data of previous studies assessing patients suffering from AF . After LAAC, the MoCA‐test and the NIHSS‐score presented in this study demonstrated no significant differences before and after LAAC.…”

European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA)/Heart Rhythm Society (HRS)/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS)/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS) expert consensus on arrhythmias and cognitive function: what is the best practice?

“…Initial findings seem to confirm this hypothesis. 79 Atrial fibrillation and cognitive function in the absence of stroke…”

European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA)/Heart Rhythm Society (HRS)/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS)/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS) expert consensus on arrhythmias and cognitive function: What is the best practice?

“…The significantly lower intracranial haemorrhage and micro‐haemorrhage rates, the lower risk of mortality with intracranial haemorrhage with use of NOACs compared with warfarin, coupled with comparable degrees of protection against thromboembolic stroke and substantially lower variability in therapeutic anticoagulation effect over time with NOACs, offer reasons to hypothesize that these agents may be advantageous to warfarin regarding protection against cognitive impairment in patients with AF but this requires confirmation. Initial findings seem to confirm this hypothesis …”

“…the lower risk of mortality with intracranial haemorrhage with use of NOACs compared with warfarin,78 coupled with comparable degrees of protection against thromboembolic stroke and substantially lower variability in therapeutic anticoagulation effect over time with NOACs, offer reasons to hypothesize that these agents may be advantageous to warfarin regarding protection against cognitive impairment in patients with AF but this requires confirmation. Initial findings seem to confirm this hypothesis 79. 5.3 | Atrial fibrillation and cognitive function in the absence of strokeLongitudinal studies have shown that dementia is more common in patients diagnosed with AF80,81 even in the absence of stroke.…”