HDL cholesterol and high-sensitive troponin T as predictive biomarkers of atrial fibrillation after heart surgery

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has an incidence rate of approximately 30% and is the most frequent arrhythmia following heart surgery. Factors such as inflammation, the presence of heart fibrosis, stress and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, have all been associated with AF. We believe that atrial remodelling is a pre-existent process in patients with post-surgical AF. We have analyzed the factors related to the incidence of atrial fibrillation in the period after heart surgery. We included consecutive, hemodynamically stable patients with a sinusal rhythm who were subjected to programmed heart surgery with extracorporeal circulation. An assessment was made of the fall in atrial fibrillation after surgery using prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring. A total of 100 patients were included in the study and were subjected to either coronary revascularisation surgery (59) or aortic valve substitution due to severe aortic stenosis (41). Postoperative AF occurred in 29 patients who received predominantly more valve surgery than coronary surgery. The following factors were predictive of postoperative AF in the multivariate analysis: Male sex; beta-blocker therapy for chronic disease; the use of intraoperative; fibrinogen perfusion; low HDL cholesterol values; and high sensitive troponin T values, in the preoperative period. HDL cholesterol and high sensitive troponin T can be useful biomarkers to predict the occurrence of AF after surgery. The early identification of these patients who develop of FA allows us to take preventive measures to minimize the negative effects.