What is the major neurologic complication of cardiac disease
Stroke is the most common neurologic sequela of cardiac disease.
The risks for embolic, thrombotic, and hemorrhagic strokes are elevated in the presence of cardiac disease.
Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, followed by ischemic heart disease and valvular heart disease, is the most common type of cardiac abnormality causing embolic ischemic strokes.
Infective endocarditis is frequently associated with embolic strokes with hemorrhagic conversion.
A patent foramen ovale may be a risk factor for stroke in some, especially younger patients, but it may be merely an incidental finding unrelated to stroke in other patients with other vascular risk factors.
