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Updated: May 26, 2026

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Atrial fibrillation predicts cognitive impairment in patients with ischemic stroke
Eliyahu Hayim Mizrahi1, Anna Waitzman, Marina Arad
1Department of Geriatric Medicine & Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. exm42@sheba.health.gov.il
Background:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is considered as a risk factor for cognitive impairment.
Methods:
This retrospective chart review study was conducted in a patient stroke rehabilitation ward of a university-affiliated referral hospital. The participants were 707 patients admitted for a standard rehabilitation course after an ischemic stroke. Cognitive status was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and scores lower than 24 points were considered as suggestive of cognitive impairment.
Results:
Atrial fibrillation, age, gender, diabetes, and dementia emerged as the only statistically significant parameters differing between those with MMSE score lower than 24 or higher. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, AF (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.03-2.47, P = .03) was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that atrial fibrillation upon admission is independently associated with lower MMSE scores in patients with ischemic stroke.
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