Atrial Fibrillation After Aortic Arch Repair Requiring Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest: Incidence, Clinical Outcome, and Clinical Predictors

Objective: To delineate the incidence, outcome impact, and clinical predictors of atrial fibrillation (AF) after adult aortic arch repair requiring deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (AAR-DHCA)Aims: To determine the incidence of AF after AAR-DHCA, to determine whether AF after AAR-DHCA affects mortality or stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), to determine multivariate predictors for AF after AAR-DHCA, and to determine whether aprotinin protects against AF after AAR-DHCA.Study Design: Retrospective and observational.Study Setting: Single large university hospital.Participants: All adults undergoing AAR-DHCA in 2000 and 2001.Main Results: The cohort size was 144. Antifibrinolytic exposure was 100%, aprotinin 66% and aminocaproic acid 34%. The incidence of AF was 34.0%. AF was not significantly associated with increased mortality or prolonged ICU stay. Advanced age was a multivariate risk factor for AF. Lower temperature nadir during DHCA was protective against postoperative AF. Aprotinin had no demonstrable effect on AF after AAR-DHCA.Conclusions: AF after AAR-DHCA is common but does not independently increase mortality or ICU stay. The risk of AF after AAR-DHCA increases with age but decreases with the degree of hypothermia during DHCA. Aprotinin does not appear to affect the risk of AF after AAR-DHCA.