Incidence and Impact of Atrial Fibrillation after Open Thoracotomy and VATS Pulmonary Lobectomy: A Single-Center Experience

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to measure the incidence and impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) after open thoracotomy versus video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy at an academic medical center. METHODS: With institutional review board approval, 899 patients who underwent a pulmonary lobectomy from January 2005 to December 2021 were included in this study. Postoperative AF (POAF) was defined by electrocardiography. Patients with a preoperative diagnosis of AF were excluded. Univariate analyses were conducted to identify risk factors and outcomes of POAF. Multivariate analyses were conducted to identify independent predictors and associated complications of POAF. RESULTS: =0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of POAF in patients who underwent an open lobectomy was significantly higher than those who underwent a VATS lobectomy. An independent risk factor for developing POAF was age. In the end, POAF greatly increased a patient's rate of postoperative complications, length of hospital and intensive care unit stay, and postoperative procedures.