Prolonged Cardiac Monitoring May Benefit Patients With Cryptogenic Stroke or TIA

“The results suggest that we ought to be more aggressive at monitoring the heart in patients with unexplained embolic stroke events,” he said. “We can make stronger recommendations now supporting the role of prolonged monitoring.” Short-duration monitoring is still a useful initial screening test, Dr. Gladstone continued, but if the results are negative, prolonged monitoring should be considered in elderly patients with cryptogenic stroke or TIA and suspected atrial fibrillation who would be appropriate candidates for anticoagulants.

—Erik Greb
Senior Associate Editor

Suggested Reading
Lazzaro MA, Krishnan K, Prabhakaran S. Detection of atrial fibrillation with concurrent Holter monitoring and continuous cardiac telemetry following ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2012;21(2): 89-93.
Ritter MA, Kochhäuser S, Duning T, et al. Occult atrial fibrillation in cryptogenic stroke: detection by 7-day electrocardiogram versus implantable cardiac monitors. Stroke. 2013;44(5):1449-1452.
Seet RC, Friedman PA, Rabinstein AA. Prolonged rhythm monitoring for the detection of occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in ischemic stroke of unknown cause. Circulation 2011; 124(4):477-486.