Left Atrial Volume and Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation after Aortic Valve Replacement

Citation : Yeruva Madhu Reddy, Ruby Satpathy, Xuedong Shen, Mark Holmberg, Claire Hunter, Aryan Mooss, Dennis Esterbrooks.Left Atrial Volume and Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation after Aortic Valve Replacement .JAFIB.2010 December;Volume 2 Issue(3): 814-821.

Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after valve surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Risk factors identified in the past to predict POAF are of moderate accuracy. We performed a retrospective analysis of 139 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. Post-operative AF occurred in 44% of the patients. In multivariate analysis only left atrial volume (LAV) index was a predictor of POAF. A LAV index of >46 cc/m2 predicted POAF with a sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 77%. We propose that LAV index can be used preoperatively to identify patients at risk for POAF to target preventive interventions.