In: Nursing
How does atrial fibrillation contribute to the development of aCVA?
AF (atrial fibrillation) is a complex arrhythmia characterised by both abnormal automatic firing and the presence of multiple re-entry circuits looping around the atria.
It's the most common arrhythmia and causes irregularly irregular pulse.
How does AF cause CVA ?
Fibrillation causes blood to
stagnate in the left atrial
appendage.(since there is no effective contraction,it causes stagnation of blood)
The stagnant blood creates an
environment for a thrombus or
blood clot to form
The clot dislodges from the
Left atrial appendage and travels through
arterial system
The clot lodges itself in the blood
vessels of the brain, restricting or blocking
blood flow and causing a stroke
There is a CHADSVAS score to predict risk of stroke in AF
C - Congestive cardiac failure -1
H-Hypertension
Age more then 75 -2
Stroke -2
Vascular events
Age 65 to 75 -1
Sex (female ) 1
A score more than 6 will have a 99% chance of stroke
Score 1 needs aspirin prophylaxis
Score 2 and above needs oral anticoagulant