Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Insertable cardiac monitoring results in higher rates of atrial fibrillation diagnosis and oral anticoagulation prescription after ischaemic stroke
- Retrospective cohort study
- propensity-score matched 1:4
Authors' conclusion
Patients with an ischaemic stroke monitored with an ICM were almost three times more likely to be diagnosed with AF and to be prescribed OAC compared to patients who received ECM only.
Study context
- Population
- Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries hospitalized with ischaemic stroke in 2017–2019 who received an insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) or external cardiac monitor (ECM) within 3 months; no prior atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter, cardiac devices or oral anticoagulant (OAC)matched cohort n = 2210
- Participants
- 5,702 beneficiaries
- Exposure
- ICM vs ECM after ischaemic stroke
- ICMn = 444
- ECMn = 5,258reference
- Outcome
- AF detection and OAC initiation
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
ICM vs ECMHR
AF detection
2.88(95% CI 2.31–3.59)
OAC initiation
2.91(CI 2.28–3.72)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Insertable cardiac monitoring results in higher rates of atrial fibrillation diagnosis and oral anticoagulation prescription after ischaemic stroke. Europace. Published 25 July 2023. doi:10.1093/europace/euad212
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it