title: Left Atrial Appendage Velocity as a Predictor of Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if there is an association between left atrial appendage velocity and the development of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Single institution retrospective study performed between January 2013 and December 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-institution, university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred sixty-two adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass.
  
  
  METHODS
  No interventions for the purpose of this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left atrial appendage velocity, measured by transesophageal echocardiogram, ranged from 8 cm/sec to 126 cm/sec. The development of POAF within the first 3 days after cardiac surgery was 38.3%. The authors found that patients with a lower left atrial appendage velocity had a higher risk of developing POAF. In the adjusted logistic regression model, there was an 11% decrease in the odds of POAF for each 10-unit (cm/sec) increase in the left atrial appendage velocity (p = 0.044).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreasing left atrial appendage velocity is an independent predictor of risk for the development of POAF following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine. Electronic address: jennie.ngai@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ngai
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine.
authors.forename: Ghislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Echevarria
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuburger
authors.affiliation: Cardiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Applebaum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020517:Atrial Appendage / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: cardiac surgery; left atrial appendage velocity; postoperative atrial fibrillation; transesophageal echocardiography