Several reasons explain why physicians and patientsmay find it challenging to manage the risk of AF-related
stroke effectively. Physicians may struggle with the complexities of stratifying stroke risk in patients with AF.
More than a dozen stroke risk–stratification systems for patients with AF have been proposed, based on various
combinations of clinical and echocardiographic predictors,and although CHADS2 and CHADS2-VASc are
the most frequently used systems, none has been convincingly shown to be“the best.”