title: Postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients with left atrial myxoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with left atrial (LA) myxoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six consecutive patients with LA myxoma (10 men, mean age: 49.3 ± 15.7 years), who were operated on between March 2010 and July 2012, were included in this retrospective study. Pre-operative electrocardiograms and echocardiographic examinations of each patient were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative AF developed in 10 patients, whereas there was no evidence of paroxysmal AF after resection of the LA myxoma in the remaining 26 patients. The patients who developed AF postoperatively were significantly older than those who did not develop AF (median: 61.5 vs 46 years; p = 0.009). Among the electrocardiographic parameters, only P-wave dispersion differed significantly between postoperative AF and non-AF patients (median: 57.6 vs 39.8 ms, p = 0.004). Logistic regression analysis revealed P- wave dispersion (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.003-1.224, p = 0.043) and age (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.001-1.278, p = 0.048) as independent predictors of postoperative AF in our cohort of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  P-wave dispersion is a simple and useful parameter for the prediction of postoperative AF in patients with LA myxoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. sahinm78@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Muslum
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kursat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tigen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cihan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dundar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Beste
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozben
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alici
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Emin
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kalkan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Birol
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome