Post Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy Atrial Arrhythmias and Impact on Length of Stay

Abstract

Background Post-operative atrial arrhythmias (POAA) after cardiac surgery are common and known to prolong hospital length of stay (LOS), but have been reported grouping atrial fibrillation (POAF), atrial flutters (AFL), and atrial tachycardias (AT). The impact of POAA vs. specifically POAF on intensive care unit time (ICUT) and hospital LOS after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgery (PTE) remains unknown. Objective To determine the impact of POAA and POAF on ICUT and hospital LOS after PTE. Method We identified consecutive patients undergoing PTE at our medical center from June 2013 to March 2020. After assessing baseline patient characteristics, we compared ICUT and LOS in patients with and without POAA and POAF after PTE. Results A total of 224 patients underwent PTE. POAA occurred in 31% (n = 68), of which 71% (n = 48) were POAF. Patients who developed POAA were older on average (63.5 vs. 51.5 years, p Conclusion In an adjusted analysis, in patients undergoing PTE, neither development of POAA nor specifically POAF were associated with increased ICUT. However, both POAA and POAF were associated with longer hospital LOS, denoting that POAA and POAF prolong hospitalization outside the ICU.