Cardiological evaluation after cerebral ischaemia : Consensus statement of the Working Group Heart and Brain of the German Cardiac Society-Cardiovascular Research (DGK) and the German Stroke Society (DSG)

Abstract

The cardiological evaluation of patients with cerebral ischaemia is of great clinical importance because diseases of the heart and aorta represent important sources of embolism, because ischaemic stroke is an index event that can lead to the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and because the mortality and morbidity of stroke patients are determined by concomitant cardiac diseases. Despite the importance of cardiological examinations for patients with ischaemic strokes, the topic is only addressed by few prospective clinical studies. Therefore, this interdisciplinary consensus document was developed to summarise the available information and to make expert recommendations for the evaluation of cardiovascular risk markers, electrocardiographic examinations, echocardiography and the indications for further investigations of a cardiac disease.