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Routine Screening For Silent Atrial Fibrillation, Zach Stevens

Theses and Graduate Projects

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and is particularly prevalent in the elderly population. It is associated with an elevated stroke risk which can be easily minimized with anticoagulation. However, AF detection is often difficult due to infrequent or absent symptoms and the first presentation of AF may be a stroke. Advances in technology have made screening for AF more feasible and accessible. Opportunistic screening with pulse palpation and confirmatory ECG is now strongly supported by the evidence and more recent studies have demonstrated that systematic screening – particularly of those with AF risk factors – may be …