Abstract
Background Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery (AFACS) impacts 10 to 65% of patients.
AFACS is associated with stroke and other systemic embolic manifestations.
Methods Patients at our hospital who underwent rheumatic valve surgery procedures including aortic valve replacement (AVR), mitral valve replacement
(MVR), AVR with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), MVR with CABG, or AVR and
MVR with/without CABG were included in this study in the period from 2002 to 2017.
Results In total, 346 patients were included in the current analysis, with a mean age of
51.6 ± 16.1 years, and 51% were males. AFACS was documented in 102 patients (29.9%)
. Univariate predictors of AFACS included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), operation
type, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), left atrial (LA) diameter, previous history of AF, use of
aldosterone antagonists more than a month before surgery, use of diuretics more than a month before surgery, length of ICU stay, total length of stay, cross-clamp time
more than 90 minutes, pump time more than 120 minutes, postoperative acute kidney injury, left ventricular dimensions.
By multivariate analysis, only age (p = 0.028, AOR = 10.6), male gender (p = 0.021, AOR = 3.4), type of surgery (p = 0.034, AOR = 7.12), history of AF (p = 0.018, AOR =
2.32), BMI (p < 0.001, AOR = 3.91), EF before surgery (p ≤ 0.001, AOR = 3.91), and LA diameter (p = 0.0051, AOR = 18.23) were independent predictors of AFACS.
Conclusion This study identifies risk factors associated with the development of atrial fibrillation
after rheumatic valve heart surgery. Older patients, male gender, type of surgery,
preoperative AF, BMI, EF before surgery, and LA diameter are independent predictors
of AF after cardiac valve surgery.
Keywords
Atrial fibrillation - rheumatic heart disease - predictors - valve replacement - cardiac
surgery
