Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder with a substantial
risk of stroke and thromboembolism, that increases dramatically with age and the presence
of risk factors [
1
,
2
]. Thus, the prevention of stroke and thromboembolism is the cornerstone of AF management.
This risk is present irrespective of whether AF is paroxysmal, persistent or permanent
[
[3]
], and despite various debates on the place for antiplatelet therapy in thromboprophylaxis,
oral anticoagulation still remains the most effective means of stroke prevention in
AF [
4
,
5
].To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 02, 2010
Accepted:
August 6,
2010
Received in revised form:
August 6,
2010
Received:
July 29,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.