[Risk factors for atrial fibrillation after thoracic surgery]

To determine the risk factors for atrial fibrillation after lung resection.

Between January 2002 and December 2003, 149 patients underwent lung resection in our hospital. For all these patients, clinical, surgical, analytical, and oncological data were prospectively collected. The data were subjected to univariate analysis.

The mean (SD) age of the 127 men (85.2%) and 22 women (14.8%) who underwent lung resection was 61.8 (12.3) years (range, 17-79 years). Atrial fibrillation was documented in 17 patients (11.4%). Mortality at 30 days was 8.1%. The following risk factors for atrial fibrillation were identified: age 70 years or older (P<.0004), prior heart disease (P<.005), patients undergoing operations for lung cancer (P<.04), and type of resection--right bilobectomy (P<.05) and left pneumonectomy (P<.03). Hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer stage were not risk factors. Likewise, systematic lymph node dissection and other forms of lung resection were not risk factors.

After lung resection, atrial fibrillation is a common complication that seems to be associated with old age, history of heart disease, operations for lung cancer, left pneumectomy, and right bilobectomy. The identification of these risk factors may encourage prospective studies that assess the use of antiarrhythmic drugs to prevent atrial fibrillation during chest surgery.