Feb 17, 2021 AFib diagnosed within 6 months of stroke carries highest risk People with atrial fibrillation (AFib) detected after ischemic stroke (AFDAS) had higher mortality risk than people who had known atrial fibrillation (KAF) or no AFib at the time of ischemic stroke, a prospective study found. “The AFDAS group had the highest risk of death, which was not explained by comorbidities or use of antithrombotic therapies,” wrote Rajat Deo, MD, MTR, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and co-authors in The researchers classified 1,489 patients with incident first ischemic stroke into four groups: no AFib (n=985), KAF (AFib known before the index stroke, n=215), AFDAS diagnosed within 6 months post-stroke (AFDAS ≤ 6 months, n=160), and AFDAS identified beyond 6 months post-stroke (AFDAS> 6 months, n=129).