Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common forms of arrhythmias, occurring in the general population in up to 2% of cases. The probability of the development of AF increases with age. AF is detected in 3.8% of individuals older than 60 years and in 9% of people older than 80 years [1]. AF is the cause of 20–30% of all strokes [2, 3]. In addition, undiagnosed ("silent") AF may be the cause of some cases of "cryptogenic" strokes [4, 5]. Paroxysmal AF increases the risk of stroke to the same degree as other forms of AF (persistent or permanent) [6].