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Because atrial fibrillation (AF) sometimes can be asymptomatic, it often is discovered only after a potentially preventable stroke has occurred. More than a decade ago, a cluster-randomized trial suggested that organized screening can increase detection of AF, but that hypothesis has not been retested (NEJM JW Gen Med Oct 1 2007 and BMJ 2007; 335:383).
Researchers in the Netherlands randomized 97 primary care practices to conduct opportunistic screening for AF in 200 randomly selected older patients (age, ≥65) per practice without known AF (if they presented at the practice) or to usual care (no specific AF screening; 200 similar patients per practice were selected randomly for comparison) for 1 year. Screening consisted of palpation of the …