Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
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Stroke without an identifiable cause is frightening to patients and their families and is frustrating for the caring physician. Approximately 30% of patients with cardiac implanted electronic devices have some evidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), and much of it is silent: asymptomatic, and previously unrecognized. ⋯ Data suggest that silent AF is identified in approximately 30% of cryptogenic stroke patients and has important therapeutic implications. Oral anticoagulation likely should be prescribed when silent AF is detected.