ASSERT III

Identifying Stroke Risks in the Healthy Elderly.

In the ASSERT study, subclinical Atrial Fibrillation (AF) detected by a pacemaker over a prolonged period of time was shown to increase a patient’s risk of stroke by almost 3-fold. Less evasive techniques using external loop recorders now offers the possibility for longer term monitoring and the possibility of diagnosing a substantial portion of this sub-clinical AF. Patients most at risk for developing AF are those who are elderly and have a history of hypertension. These patients will be invited to participate in the ASSERT III study where they will be monitored over a 60 day period for the development of subclinical AF via an external loop recorder. The device will automatically record and transmit ECGs through a BlackBerry Smartphone. The primary hypothesis is that among this elderly population with hypertension and a least one other risk factor for AF, the monitoring will detect AF in at least 10% of patients who would be potential candidates for anticoagulant therapy.

ASSERT III – ClinicalTrials.gov

Countries Participating

• Canada