Pre-Operative Atrial Deformation Indices Predict Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Lung...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Thoracic Surgery
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) lacks established predictors in non-cardiac thoracic surgery.
• Pre-operative left atrial imaging shows promise in identifying POAF risk in cardiac surgery patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if pre-operative left atrial strain (LAS) can predict POAF in patients undergoing lung resection.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 149 patients undergoing lung resection.
• Pre-operative transthoracic echocardiography with speckle-tracking strain analysis.
• Advanced LAS analysis assessed reservoir, conduit, and booster atrial function components.

Main Results:

• POAF occurred in 11.4% of patients.
• Patients with POAF had increased left atrial volume index and reduced LAS components, particularly reservoir-compliance strain.
• LAS reservoir strain showed predictive value (OR: 0.86), with a multivariable model achieving a c-statistic of 0.880.

Conclusions:

• Reduced LAS metrics are more specific and sensitive than conventional methods for predicting POAF.
• Pre-operative left atrial imaging can identify high-risk lung resection patients for potential prophylactic therapy.