Abstract

To examine whether the left atrial (LA) mechanical function is a predictor for the development of post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) following cardiac surgery. Background: POAF is an important and frequent complication of cardiac surgery. The relationship between LA mechanical function and POAF is not well understood. We examined the relationship between pre-operative LA function and POAF in patients without a history of atrial fibrillation. Method: our study was a prospective study that included 80 subjects who were eligible for cardiac surgery. pre-operative transthoracic echocardiograms were done for all subjects which were followed up for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation postoperatively. They were divided postoperatively into two groups. Group1: patients who developed POAF.group 2: patients who did not develop AF post operatively. The left atrial maximum volume and left atrial minimum volume were measured preoperatively and indexed to body surface area .LA TEF was calculated as: {[(LAVmax – LAVmin)/LAVmax] 100%}.

Description