A new study presented at ESC 2024 suggests that adding a heart failure biomarker to standard ECG screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) could improve the prediction of which individuals have a low risk for ischaemic stroke and systemic embolism. The study found that the biomarker, called galectin-3, was able to identify individuals with a low risk of these events who would not have been identified by ECG screening alone.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, involved over 10,000 participants who were screened for AF using a single-lead ECG. The participants were also tested for galectin-3 levels.
The results showed that the addition of galectin-3 to ECG screening improved the prediction of low risk for ischaemic stroke and systemic embolism. Specifically, the combination of ECG and galectin-3 was able to identify 20% more individuals with a low risk of these events than ECG alone.
ESC 2024: Mass AF Screening via ECG Plus Heart Failure Biomarker
The researchers say that their findings suggest that galectin-3 could be a useful tool for improving the risk stratification of patients with AF. They note that further studies are needed to confirm their findings and to determine the optimal cut-off value for galectin-3 in this setting.
## Implications for Clinical Practice
The findings of this study have important implications for clinical practice. If confirmed, they suggest that galectin-3 could be used to improve the risk stratification of patients with AF and to identify those who are at low risk for ischaemic stroke and systemic embolism. This could lead to more targeted and cost-effective use of anticoagulants in patients with AF.
## Future Research
Further research is needed to confirm the findings of this study and to determine the optimal cut-off value for galectin-3 in this setting. Additionally, studies are needed to investigate the use of galectin-3 in combination with other biomarkers for risk stratification in patients with AF.
## Conclusion
The findings of this study suggest that galectin-3 could be a useful tool for improving the risk stratification of patients with AF. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine the optimal use of galectin-3 in this setting.
