Cheating the CHA2DS2-VASc Score: Thromboembolism in Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of systemic thromboembolism in general and stroke in particular. Not all patients who develop atrial fibrillation are at significantly heightened risk of thromboembolic complications, however, with the development of risk scoring systems aiding clinicians in determining whether formal anticoagulation is mandated. The most commonly used contemporary scoring systems-CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc-provide a reliable means of assessing stroke risk, but certain cardiac conditions are associated with an increased incidence of thromboembolism without impacting on these risk scores.