The fifth annual meeting of the AF-SCREEN international collaboration (and their first virtual one) featured a wide range of topics relating to screening for atrial fibrillation.
The open session on Sept. 25, recorded and shared here, was co-chaired by PHRI Senior Scientist, Jeff Healey, and Renate Schnabel, University Heart Centre, Germany (both of whom are on AF SCREEN’s steering committee). This session featured:
- Ben Freedman, University of Sydney and Heart Research Institute, Australia: Year in Review for AF-SCREEN and Screening for AF
- Mike Gibson, Harvard Medical School, USA: Heartline study update (Janssen J&J/Bayer/Apple watch)
- Søren Diederichsen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark: Simulations from the Danish Loop Study: relevance to other screening methodologies
- Peter Noseworthy, Mayo Clinic, USA: AI and Machine Learning using eMR, biomarkers and 12-lead ECG to predict AF and AF-related events
- Emelia Benjamin, Framingham Heart Study, Boston University, USA: What are the research priorities in screening for AF.
The AF SCREEN international collaboration, with more than 170 key players in the field of atrial fibrillation from 37 countries, was created in 2015 to promote discussion and research about screening for unknown or under-treated AF as a way to reduce stroke and death. Their efforts include the role of AF detection technologies, implementation in health systems for AF screening, and the role of oral anticoagulant therapy to prevent stroke in individuals found to have previously unknown AF.
PHRI studies that have been part of AF SCREEN include ASSERT III, PIAAF-Pharmacy, PIAAF-Family Practice, and PIAAF-Screen AF.
