title: Elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressures are associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation following lung transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common after open-chest procedures, but the etiology remains poorly understood. Lung transplant procedures allow for the study of novel contributing factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of lung transplant procedures performed at a single center between 2002 and 2009 were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 174 patients, 27 (16%) had AF a median 6 days post-surgery. Post-operative AF patients less often had right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) by either electrocardiogram (0 versus 14%, P=.042) or echocardiography (19% versus 47%, P=.006), and had lower pulmonary artery systolic pressures (PASP) (39 ± 12 versus 51 ± 22, P=.005). After multivariable adjustment, every 10-mm Hg increase in PASP was associated with a 31% reduction in the odds of post-operative AF (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.98, P=.035). A higher pulmonary pressure was the only predictor independently associated with less post-operative AF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher PASP was associated with a lower risk of AF after lung transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Section, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Anuj
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Jonathan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoopes
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Itinarelli
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Marcus
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome