Predictors of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement

Abstract

On the basis of the separated risk factors, all patients should be preoperatively classified to applicable groups of risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation appearance, and the prophylactic treatment should be administered in the group of patients with the highest risk. It may essentially decrease the rate of complications and deaths, and, consequently, the costs of postoperative medical care.

The 30 Day Complication Rate After Aortic Valve Replacement with a Pericardial Valve in a Mainly Geriatric Population

“…In other series, this was 40% or more (53,54). The definition and the diagnostic method for AF have also an effect on its incidence (54,55). Postoperative AF has not been considered as innocent: it could lead to other complications and an increased stay in the hospital.…”

Letter by Banach et al Regarding Article, "Postoperative Treatment With Carvedilol, a β-Adrenergic Blocker, Prevents Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting"

“…Preoperative arrhythmias (especially supraventricular ones) have been confirmed to increase the incidence POAF. 4,6 The higher ratio of patients with preoperative -blocker therapy in the carvedilol group also would have had an importance influence on the reported results. All these factors probably had an influence on the high rate of POAF in the patients in the control group (34%) and the low rate in the carvedilol group (18%).…”

“…Surprisingly, the authors showed that only postoperative carvedilol therapy influenced POAF There was no effect on POAF of confirmed predictors, such as age, preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, preoperative arrhythmias, or diabetes mellitus, renal failure and COPD in the history. 4,6 Those results were probably a consequence of the small size of the group of patients included in the study (eg, no patient with COPD or 8 patients with renal failure in AF [+] group).…”

Atrial Fibrillation: The New Epidemic of the Ageing World

“…180 Predictors of paroxysmal AF in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation were hypertension, diabetes, and history of heart failure in the preoperative period; LV ejection fraction and left atrial dimension in the early postoperative period; and age, LV ejection fraction, LV end-systolic diameter, end-systolic intraventricular septum thickness, left atrial dimension, and insignificant mitral regurgitation in the postoperative period. 180 Prophylactic treatment should be administered to patients undergoing aortic valve replacement at high risk for developing postoperative AF. 180 Of 3,000 patients undergoing isolated surgical revascularization, 174 (5.8%) had preoperative AF .…”

“…180 Prophylactic treatment should be administered to patients undergoing aortic valve replacement at high risk for developing postoperative AF. 180 Of 3,000 patients undergoing isolated surgical revascularization, 174 (5.8%) had preoperative AF . 181 At 3-year follow-up, survival rates were 90.6% in patients without preoperative AF versus 70.7% in those with preoperative AF (p<0.01).…”