Predictors of AF Post-Cardiac Surgery
As shown in table 5, univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that
age (HR 1.05, CI 1.01-1.08, P=0.002) and history of AF (HR 6.48, CI
3.69-11.37, P<0.001)) were predictors of AF post-surgery. Type
of surgery (HR 1.34, CI 0.95-1.91, p=0.09) and hypertension (HR 1.72, CI
0.91-3.24, p=0.09) tended to predict AF following cardiac surgery. In
multivariate Cox regression analysis, age (HR 1.04, CI 1.01-1.07,
P=0.006) and history of preoperative AF (HR 6.01, CI 3.42-10.57,
P<0.001) were independent predictors of AF following cardiac
surgery (table 6).
Kaplan Meir survival curve was utilized for evaluating the probability
of AF post-surgery based on the history of AF before surgery (figure 1).
The probability of being free of AF post cardiac surgery was 80% among
patients without history of preoperative AF compared to 30% among
patients with history of preoperative AF (p<0.001). Most of AF
episodes occurred between postoperative 2 and 5 as showed in figure 1.