Objective: The primary aim of this investigation was to compare the incidence of new-onset postoperative atrial arrhythmias (POAAs) in cardiac versus noncardiac thoracic surgery patients. A subgroup analysis also was performed in the cardiac surgery patients comparing POAAs in patients who underwent cardiac surgery on and off cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
Design: This was a retrospective study using the Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia patient registry. All patients (n = 33,500) undergoing cardiac (n = 29,057) and noncardiac thoracic (n = 4,443) surgeries between 1993 and 2004 were identified from the patient registry. Two propensity-matched comparisons for the incidence of POAAs were made: (1) in cardiac surgery patients versus noncardiac thoracic surgery patients and (2) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with versus without CPB.
Setting: A large metropolitan multidisciplinary clinic.
Participants: Patients.
Intervention: No interventions were done because this was a retrospective study.
Measurements and main results: The cardiac patients had a significantly higher incidence of POAAs when compared with noncardiac thoracic surgery patients (11.6% v 7.5%, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of POAAs between patients undergoing CPB versus off-pump CPB (13.3% v 12.3%, p = 0.3).
Conclusion: The incidence of new-onset POAAs was higher in patients undergoing cardiac surgery than in patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic surgery in propensity-matched patient groups. CPB was not associated with new-onset POAAs.
Published by Elsevier Inc.