A review on the spectrum of atrial fibrillation detected after a stroke

Jaime E. Rodríguez-Orozco, Department of CNS, London Health Science Center, London, Ontario, Canada
Luciano A. Sposato, Department of CNS, London Health Science Center, London, Ontario, Canada

This article reviews the concept of atrial fibrillation (AF) detected after a stroke (AFDAS) as a potentially different entity than known AF (KAF). For this, we describe the pathogenesis of neurogenic AF, the relevance of stroke induced heart injury, and other mechanisms in the development of AFDAS as opposed to a cardiogenic mechanism in KAF. Later, we will highlight the differences in characteristics and prognosis of KAF and AFDAS and provide existing evidence that supports the importance of this differentiation for clinical practice and future research.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation. Stroke. AFDAS. Pathophysiology.