Checking pulse could help detect risk of a second stroke

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Checking pulse could help detect risk of a second stroke

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Stroke patients and their families can be taught to monitor the patient’s pulse and detect irregular heartbeats that might lead to another stroke, according to a new study. Of people who have a stroke, 40% will suffer another one within the next 10 years, said lead author Dr. Bernd Kallmunzer of the Department of Neurology at Universitatsklinikum Erlangen in Germany. Taking a pulse reading can detect atrial fibrillation, a major risk factor for stroke, and facilitate appropriate treatment to reduce the risk of another stroke or death, Kallmunzer told Reuters Health by email. The study team tested how accurately patients and their families could detect fibrillation just by taking a pulse.

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