Variation in management of post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after thoracic surgery

Efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan on postoperative atrial fibrillation in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a real-world observational study

Background

The mechanism underlying new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in adult cardiac surgery is not well understood. However, efficient pharmacological methods to prevent and treat arrhythmic complications are still lacking. In the present study, we explored the efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan (sac/val) in the control of POAF in adult cardiac surgery patients.

Methods

Between January 2021 and December 2021, 667 eligible adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were enrolled. The participants were divided into two groups according to whether sac/val was used: the sac/val group (N = 101) and the control group (N = 566). The main observational endpoints were the incidence of POAF, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) recovery, in-hospital mortality, and short-term mortality.

Results

Patients in the sac/val group had a lower incidence of POAF than those in the control group (26/101 vs. 204/566, P = 0.045). Patients in the sac/val group also showed a higher communicative risk for POAF incidence using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. In addition, patients in the sac/val group showed better LVEF recovery, with dynamic changes in LVEF superior to that of the control group. The change in LVEF in the sac/val group was 1.78 ± 5.41, compared with -1.19 ± 10.92 in the control group (P = 0.008).

Conclusions

This is the first observational study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sac/val in the prevention and treatment of POAF after cardiac surgery. The results demonstrated that compared with patients who did not receive sac/val treatment, those who received Sac/val treatment showed better POAF control and LVEF recovery. These results should be cautiously interpreted and further confirmed using larger sample sizes and prospective randomized controlled trials.

Outcomes of Surgical and Mechanical Thrombectomy in Massive Saddle Pulmonary Embolism: A National Perspective

Introduction Saddle pulmonary embolism (PE) is a type of central PE that involves the bifurcation of the pulmonary arteries. First-line treatment is usually systemic thrombolytics, but surgical and mechanical thrombectomy (ST and MT) are used for patients with contraindications to thrombolytics or right heart strain. This study compares surgical and mechanical thrombectomy trends and outcomes in patients with saddle PE. Methods The data was extracted from the National In-Patient Sample (NIS) from 2016-2018 using the International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) diagnosis codes. We used the Cochrane-Armitage trend test to analyze the trends of ST and MT and the chi-square test for statistical analyses. A two-tailed p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The overall trend of MT in saddle PE rose from 2016 to 2018, while ST remained stable. Around 95% of patients undergoing ST/MT were emergent admissions, with 82.5% occurring in teaching hospitals. Patients of age >65 years and more with comorbidity burdens were more likely to undergo MT over ST. In-hospital mortality after ST was 15.1%, and after MT was 11.1% (p:<0.001). The most common complications after ST were congestive heart failure (CHF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), and after MT were vascular events and CHF. Conclusion The use of mechanical thrombectomy has steadily increased during the study period. ST is more common in large/teaching hospitals, weekend admissions, and patients transferred from other facilities. MT is more common in elderly patients with a higher comorbidity burden. Patients who underwent MT had lower mortality, length of hospital stay, and post-procedural complications.