Abstract:
Purpose: This study aimed to establish the role of risk factors in the etiology of postoperative
atrial fi brillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Methods: Between September 2001 and March 2008, 1040 patients underwent isolated
CABG at our clinic. Nine hundred and eleven of these patients did not have any AF
(Non-AF Group) and the other one hundred and twenty-nine had AF (AF Group). A retrospective
study was performed for patient, disease and treatment related factors and
multivariate analysis was used to identify independent clinical predictors of postoperative
AF.
Results: Postoperative AF was identifi ed in 129 (12.4%) of the patients, and those were
signifi cantly older and had signifi cantly higher additive EuroSCORE score as compared
with patients without AF. During the postoperative course, patients with postoperative AF
also had signifi cantly higher and prolonged (≥6 hours) mechanical ventilation time, longer
and prolonged intensive care unit stay and longer hospital stay. Logistic regression
analysis revealed that postoperative AF development ratio was 1.690 times higher when
the ventilation time was over 6 hours (OR 1.690, 95% CI 1.092–2.615, p = 0.018); 1.240
times higher in the presence of elevated additive EuroSCORE score (OR 1.240, 95% CI
1.109–1.385, p = 0.0001); 1.052 times higher in the presence of advanced age (OR 1.052,
95% CI 1.031–1.0741, p = 0.0001).
Conclusion: Analysis of our data reveals that, patient’s age, additive EuroSCORE score,
and prolonged ventilation are predictors of postoperative AF. Identifi cation of risk factors
might lead to better prevention of this problem and its potential consequences. However,
to support our investigation and obtain more reliable evidence, prospective randomized
controlled trials are needed.
