La fibrillazione atriale post-operatoria: inquadramento nosologico e opzioni per la terapia e la profilassi Postoperative atrial fibrillation: etiopathogenesis, prevention and therapy

Postoperative atrial fibrillation: etiopatho- genesis, prevention and therapy. P. Calisi, R. Griffo. Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent complication after cardiac surgery. Its onset leads to a threefold higher risk for stroke compared with patients in sinus rhythm and other adverse events such as thromboembolic events and heart failure. The direct consequence is an increased length of hospital stays with obvious economic implica- tions. These reasons have led the attention of many inves- tigators to point out the rule of possible predisposing fac- tors and underlining mechanisms in order to establish an effective preventive treatment. The present paper is aimed to review the state-of- the-art knowledge about post-operative atrial fibrillation and its complex etiopathogenesis which is in turn re- sponsible for the lack of consensus regarding routine prophylaxis.