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For people hospitalized with ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation (AFib), restoring the heart's normal rhythm within eight weeks after stroke is associated with a lower risk of having another stroke, according to a new study published in Neurology.

Ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, is when blood flow is blocked to part of the brain. The study does not prove that early rhythm control prevents a second stroke; it only shows an association.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often very rapid heartbeat. Early rhythm control restores the heart's normal rhythm, either with medication; electrical cardioversion, which is a quick electrical shock; or catheter ablation, which uses heat, cold or electricity to create a scar to block abnormal electrical impulses.

"With just atrial fibrillation, restoring the heart's normal rhythm early reduces the risk of cardiovascular events later," said study author Yuichi Imanaka, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., of Kyoto University in Japan. "But less is known about the combination of ischemic stroke and AFib. Our study shows when a person has both stroke and AFib, early rhythm control is associated with a reduced risk of a second stroke."

For the study, researchers identified 14,355 people with an average age of 83 who were admitted to a hospital with both ischemic stroke and AFib. Of the participants, 2%, or 268 people, received early rhythm control: 206 received medication; 68 had catheter ablation; and 32 had electrical cardioversion.

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