Abstract
Background and purpose: It has been suggested that an increased risk of ischemic stroke may exist in the setting of cardioversion of atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm. In the present study, we investigated the predictive factors associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke in patients receiving cardioversion for defibrillation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
Methods: We examined the frequency of ischemic stroke within 10 days after direct-current cardioversion between April 1995 and November 2003, and compared the clinical backgrounds of the atrial fibrillation patients with or without ischemic stroke.
Results: Ischemic stroke after cardioversion occurred in 9 (1.2%) of 768 patients. On comparison with 45 randomly selected, non-stroke controls, the time between onset of atrial fibrillation and cardioversion (in days; OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03-1.53) was found to be a significant and independent predictive factor of ischemic stroke.
Conclusions: The present data suggest that early cardioversion for defibrillation might help to prevent ischemic stroke in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
