AF common in month after cardiac surgery, study finds
One in five patients discharged home after cardiac surgery are likely to have atrial fibrillation episodes during the 30 days post-surgery, Canadian researchers report.
But only a tenth of these patients will be picked up by a usual-care approach to detecting AF, their study shows.
In the study, 336 patients without preoperative AF who had undergone cardiac surgery (median CHA2DS2-VASc score of 4, mean age 67, 22% female) were randomised to receive continuous electrocardiogram monitoring with wearable patch-based monitors for 30 days or to receive usual care.
All participants had a CHA2DS2VASc score of at least 4, or a score of at least 2 along with risk factors for postoperative AF, or postoperative AF within the first 24 hours after surgery.