AB016. Postoperative atrial fibrillation after lung resection for cancer

Background: Aim of the study was to record the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients after lung resection for cancer and investigate any correlation with demographic factors, the type of resection and with postoperative mortality in lung cancer operations.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent lung resection because of cancer in Thessaloniki’s “G. Papanikolaou” Hospital. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.

Results: From January 2013 to May 2016 a total of 320 patients underwent lung resection because of cancer. Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) presented in 14 patients (4.37%). No correlation was found between AF and the elderly patients(age >65 years old, P=0.535). AF was found in 6/184 of young patients (3.2%) and 8/136 of elderly (5.88%). Gender has no correlation (P=0.515): AF was found in 12/251 males (4.78%) and 2/69 females (2.89%). No correlation (P=0.547) was found with video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS): AF was found in 9/245 VATS patients (3.67%) and 5/75 of patients operated by the open technique (6.75%). There was a strong correlation with pneumonectomy (P<0.01). Postoperative atrial fibrillation was found in 7 from 40 pneumonectomy patients (17.5%) and 7 from 280 patients who underwent resections other than pneumonectomies (2.5%). Finally, there is a correlation with mortality: 1 of 3 patients who died complicated with AF (33.3%), while AF found in 13 from the 317 survivors (4.1%) (P<0.03).

Conclusions: According to our results, there is a statistical significant correlation between postoperative atrial fibrillation and (I) pneumonectomy procedure (II) early postoperative mortality.

Keywords: Lung cancer resection; atrial fibrillation (AF)