aetiology
Last reviewed 01/2018
Common causes of cardiac emboli include:
- atrial fibrillation
- left ventricular thrombus after myocardial infarction
- rheumatic heart disease
- prosthetic cardiac valves
- following cardiac surgery for example, coronary artery bypass graft, or cardiac catherisation
Less common causes include:
- endocarditis - infective, marantic, Libman-Sachs
- mitral valve prolapse
- cardiac tumours - primary e.g. atrial myxoma; metastatic
- non-ischaemic dilated / congestive cardiomyopathy
- aneurysm
myocardial infarction and stroke
antithrombotic therapy if valve replacements