Beyond Atrial Fibrillation: Clinical and Echocardiographic Predictors of Ischaemic Stroke and Systemic Thromboembolism in Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the best-established thromboembolic risk factor in rheumatic heart disease (RHD), but stroke and thromboembolism also occur without documented AF. We systematically synthesised associations between non-AF clinical/echocardiographic predictors and thromboembolism in RHD, comparing AF-adjusted with unadjusted estimates.

Methods