Echocardiographic Predictors of Atrial Fibrillation after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Speckle Tracking Echocardiography Study

Background: Following both cardiothoracic and non-cardiothoracic surgery, postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF), is frequently observed. Up to 5–40% of patients have been reported to have atrial fibrillation (AF) in the initial postoperative phase after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Early AF detection would help with prevention and allow for appropriate medication treatment. Aim of the study: To identify the function of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in the prognostication of atrial fibrillation following isolated CABG in ischemic patients. Patients and methods: One hundred forty patients with sinus rhythm and ischemic heart disease were scheduled for CABG as part of this prospective study. The patients received the appropriate clinical evaluation, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram (STE, tissue doppler, and conventional). Results: Of all the patients in this study, 45 (group A) developed atrial fibrillation, whereas 95 (group B) maintained sinus rhythm. Regarding the patients' risk factors (age, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking) and echocardiographic measures (LV volumes and ejection fraction, E/E ratio, LA strain, and LV global longitudinal strain), there was no remarkable difference between the two groups. P-values of 0.582 and 0.599, respectively, indicate that the mean LA strain in group A was 21.418 ± 1.617 % vs 21.197 ± 1.668 % in group B whereas the mean LV global longitudinal strain was -16.868 ± 3.607 % in group A and -17.285 ± 3.175 % in group B. Conclusion: Speckle tracking and other echocardiographic measures were not able to predict the incidence of POAF.