Morbidity and mortality with atrial fibrillation following colorectal surgery

Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common, self-limiting complication following non-cardiac surgery. It is associated with other complications such as pneumonia and sepsis, increased hospital stay and in-hospital mortality. The aim of the study is to identify risk factors, morbidity and mortality associated with POAF.

Retrospective cohort study of 571 consecutive patients who presented for colorectal surgery at The Canberra Hospital. Seventy-four patients were excluded due to history of atrial fibrillation and a further 124 patients were lost to follow-up at 1 year. Patient characteristics, intraoperative factors and post-operative outcomes were retrospectively collected. One-year mortality data were collected for 373 patients in the cohort.

A total of 497 patients were included, 33 (6.6%) developed POAF within 30 days of surgery. POAF is associated with ischaemic heart disease (24.2 versus 11.6%, P = 0.035), emergency (66.7 versus 34.1%, P = 0.0001) and open procedures (87.9 versus 70.9%, P = 0.036). There is a higher incidence of post-operative complications including pneumonia (24.2 versus 9.1%, P = 0.006), abdominal collection (21.2 versus 9.7%, P = 0.049) and sepsis (21.2 versus 7.5%, P < 0.0001). POAF had a higher in-hospital mortality (9.1 versus 2.6%, P = 0.035) and 1-year mortality (33.3 versus 8.8%, P < 0.0001).

POAF is a common presentation following colorectal surgery and is associated with infective complications, reflecting an inflammatory process. Risk factors for POAF have been clearly identified in the literature; however, further studies need to be conducted on preventative strategies. There is a significantly higher 1-year mortality rate compared with the controls, the aetiology of which has not yet been widely reviewed.