title: The role of surface ECG and transthoracic echocardiography for predicting postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the roles of surface electrocardiogram (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiography (ECHO) for prediction of atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted from 2002-2004 at the Cardiovascular Department of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Seventy consecutive patients were enrolled in this study that underwent elective CABG. A 12-lead ECG was recorded one day before cardiac surgery and was repeated during the 5 days after CABG. P-wave dispersion (PWD) was defined as the difference between maximum and minimum P-wave duration. Differences in P-wave duration were compared between the pre- and postoperative 12-lead ECG measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative AF developed in 17 (24%) cases of 70 patients. The PWD was found to be significantly higher in patients with AF preoperatively (60+/-19 versus 47+/-13, p=0.003), postoperative first day (56+/-12 versus 44+/-11, p<0.002) and fifth day (51+/-29 versus 41+/-11, p<0.001). Patients with AF were significantly older, the mean age of the AF group was (68+/-7) years and of the sinus rhythm (SR) group was (59+/-10 years) (p<0.001). The AF group had left ventricular systolic dysfunction (56+/-13% versus 56+/-8%, p=0.042, preoperatively; 49+/-8% versus 60+/-10%, p=0.001, postoperatively) and a larger left atrium (46+/-5 versus 39+/-5 mm, p<0.001, preoperatively and 44+/-7 versus 39+/-5 mm, p=0.046, postoperatively) than the SR group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This prospective study demonstrated that PWD on surface ECG and additional echocardiographic parameters are simple and reliable indexes to predict the development of AF after CABG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Halil I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Ucar
authors.forename: Enver
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Atalar
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oc
authors.forename: Birkan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Akbulut
authors.forename: Bahar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oc
authors.forename: Omer F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: Bunyamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yavuz
authors.forename: Necla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guvener
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Kudret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aytemir
authors.forename: Riza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demircin
authors.forename: Ilhan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pasaoglu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014463:Ultrasonography