Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Surgery
Coronary Artery By-pass Graft (CABG)
Valve Repair
Valve Replacement


Postoperative Surgical Recovery
or ICU
- Postoperative or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs after surgery while the patient is in recovery or ICU
- Persistent postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) may require additional staff to adequately treat the arrhythmia.
- Ablation and/or a pacemaker for more persistent AF
Atrial Fibrillation – Most Common Arrhythmia

- Affects the upper chambers of the heart (atria)
- Rapid heartbeat
- Chaotic, irregular quivering of the atria
- Heart pumps blood poorly
- Pooling may form a clot
Clinical Risk
- While acute atrial fibrillation (AF) may sometimes be clinically silent, it’s not benign!
- Postoperative (POAF) atrial fibrillation in the acute setting may transition to persistent or permanent (chronic) AF and result in debilitating symptoms
- If left untreated, POAF can increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, ventricular arrhythmias, and mortality
- AF is associated with a five-fold risk of stroke
-
POAF is a “must treat” medical situation!
Prevalence
- Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common complication from cardiovascular surgery, occurring in up to 60% of patients
-
There are no diagnostic tools to identify which patients will experience POAF