It seems that the medical profession can only seek clarification of abnormal heart rhythms following a ischemic stroke. I have undergone 24 hour ECG and one month of HeartBug monitoring, neither picking up any issues. I was told the HeartBug was only about 10% effective in picking up issues. Now the hospital is suggesting I have a loop recorder implant and they said it was about 30% effective. I have two queries: 1) can any other (non heart rhythm) conditions/issues cause a stroke?, and 2) if the loop recorder helpful is it covered by Medicare? Look forward to your advice.

Hi MicMac,

Thanks so much for your questions. 

There are a number of other conditions aside from Atrial Fibrillation (AF) that can cause stroke. 

High blood pressure is the most common cause, but high cholesterol and diabetes also increase your stroke risk. There are also a number of lifestyle risk factors; smoking, unhealthy diet, being inactive and drinking alcohol. Have a look at page 38 of My Stroke Journey if you’d like an in-depth read. It covers a number of other conditions such as aneurysms, a hole in the heart, to name a few.

The most important thing is to know your risk and have regular discussions with your doctor to reduce this. We have some information about some practical ways to reduce risk of stroke here.

To answer your second question, Implantable Loop Recorders (IRLs) are on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Standard Search | Medicare Benefits Schedule (health.gov.au).) You’d need to check with your cardiologist that you meet criteria, but hopefully this helps start the conversation.

Best wishes with it all. We’re here if you’d like to chat through things in more depth,

Lisa

StrokeLine – 1800 787 653 (9am – 5pm Mondays to Fridays)