Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia treated in clinical practice. Lifetime risk of AF is estimated to be 24% in elderly patients.1–3 Stroke is the most devastating complication of AF, with AF patients experiencing a fivefold higher risk of stroke and a twofold increased risk of all-cause mortality.4 Taking all patients into consideration, the annual stroke risk is 5%, but can be as high as 15% depending on many common clinical factors.5
Aortic dissections have been described as ticking time bombs—the sooner patients with this condition are treated, the better the outcome.
