screening for atrial fibrillation (AF)

Last edited 04/2021 and last reviewed 08/2023

Screening for atrial fibrillation

• the 2019 UK National Screening Committee posed a series of criteria that would need to be established to justify screening and then, after performing an exhaustive evidence review around each criterion, concluded that many factors remain "uncertain" so that screening is not recommended at this time
  
  
• the United States Preventive Services Task Force has concluded that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for atrial fibrillation with electrocardiography

At present, although screening can detect asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, the downstream benefit of widespread implementation of screening in unselected populations is unproven (1)

Reference:

• Ponamgi SP et al. Screening and management of atrial fibrillation in primary care. BMJ 2021;372:mn379 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.mn379
• King S, Fitzgerald A, Bartlett C, et al. The UK NSC recommendation on Atrial Fibrillation screening in adults. 2019. https://legacyscreening.phe.org.uk/atrialfibrillation