[Cardiac arrhythmia in cardiac embolism].

To study cardiac arrhythmia in patients with cardiocerebral embolism, we examined 330 patients with ischemic stroke using ECG and Holter monitoring. 33 patients were control. Group 1 consisted of 104(31.5%) patients with cardioembolic stroke, group 2--of 226(68.5%) patients with other pathogenetic stroke subtypes. Number of patients with rare and frequent supra- and ventricular extrasystole in groups 1 and 2 was not essentially different. Paroxysms of supra- and ventricular tachycardia, variants of sick sinus syndrome (SSS) and transitory atrioventricular block (AV block) of the second and third degree were identified with comparable frequency in groups 1 and 2 (0.9 to 5.8% patients). Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) was registered in 31.8% of group 1 patients and 15.9% of group 2 patients. Permanent AF occurred in 31.8 and 7.5% patients of groups 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.00001). Thus, cardiocerebral embolism is observed most frequently in paroxysmal and permanent forms of AF. Variants of extrasystole, paroxysmal supra- and ventricular tachycardia, SSS and AV-block are not associated with embolic complications.