Atrial fibrillation: A risk score for AF-burning the haystack to find the needle.

The novel risk score for new-onset atrial fibrillation proposed by Schnabel et al. is based on readily identifiable risk factors and provides an excellent 'first draft' to focus primary prevention and halt the pandemic spread of this arrhythmia and its potentially lethal consequences. The risk score does, however, require further validation and sophistication with novel imaging techniques before it can be applied in clinical practice.