Preoperative Uric Acid-to-Albumin Ratio as a Predictor of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF), the pathophysiology that includes inflammation and oxidative stress, is associated with increased hospital length of stay, mortality, and complications. The uric acid-to-albumin ratio reflects the inflammatory status of the body. We sought to evaluate whether there is an association between POAF and uric acid-to-albumin ratio in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Five hundred forty-three patients who developed POAF and 166 patients who did not formed our control and study groups, respectively. Patients who had an episode of atrial fibrillation lasting > 30 seconds were considered to have POAF. The uric acid-to-albumin ratio was calculated for each patient.

Patients who developed POAF were older; had higher rates of hypertension, carotid artery disease, left atrial diameter, urea, creatinine, uric acid, and C-reactive protein levels; and had lower hemoglobin and albumin levels. The uric acid-to-albumin ratio of patients with and without POAF was 1.65 ± 0.63 and 1.26 ± 0.39, respectively (P < 0.001). Compared with uric acid and albumin, uric acid-to-albumin ratio had the highest area under the curve for predicting POAF (0.681, 0.449, and 0.702, respectively). Age and hemoglobin concentration were predictors of POAF. Although uric acid and albumin did not reach statistical significance for predicting POAF, the uric acid-to-albumin ratio had predictive value for the development of POAF.

The ability of the uric acid-to-albumin ratio to predict POAF in cardiac surgery patients and its nonnegligible benefits justify its use in clinical practice.