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Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
28:13

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: February 26, 2013

Patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation have a doubled cardiovascular mortality

Anders Ahlsson1, Lennart Bodin, Espen Fengsrud

  • 1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Anesthesiology, Orebro University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden. anders.ahlsson@orebroll.se

Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal : SCJ
|January 13, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly increases late mortality in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients. This risk is independent of age and driven by cardiovascular causes.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
  • The long-term impact of postoperative AF on mortality and causes of death in CABG patients requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between postoperative AF and late mortality in CABG patients.
  • To identify the specific causes of death associated with postoperative AF.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 1419 CABG patients without preoperative AF was analyzed.
  • Postoperative AF developed in 419 patients (29.5%).
  • Survival data and causes of death were assessed over a median follow-up of 8.0 years using Cox proportional hazard analysis.

Main Results:

  • Late mortality was higher in patients with postoperative AF (33.4%) compared to those without (19.1%).
  • Causes of death including cerebral ischemia, myocardial infarction, sudden death, and heart failure were more frequent in the postoperative AF group.
  • Postoperative AF was identified as an age-independent risk factor for late mortality (HR 1.56).

Conclusions:

  • Postoperative AF is a significant, age-independent risk factor for late mortality in CABG patients.
  • The increased mortality risk is primarily attributed to cardiovascular causes.
  • These findings underscore the importance of managing postoperative AF to improve long-term outcomes in CABG surgery.
Abstract

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