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Pardo et al. Vessel Plus 2022;6:36 Vessel Plus
DOI: 10.20517/2574-1209.2021.120

Original Article Open Access

Improving future postoperative atrial fibrillation

care: a 30,000-foot viewpoint

1,#
2,#
2
Daniel Pardo , Frederick L. Grover , Jessica Y. Rove , A. Laurie W. Shroyer 3
1
Undergraduate Medical Education Office, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University; Stony Brook, NY 11794-
8434, USA.
2
Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045-2545, USA.
3
Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8191, USA.
#
Authors contributed equally and considered joint first authors.
Correspondence to: A. Laurie W. Shroyer, Vice Chair for Research and Professor, Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of
Medicine at Stony Brook University, HSC 19-080, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8191, USA.
E-mail: AnnieLaurie.Shroyer@stonybrookmedicine.edu
How to cite this article: Pardo D, Grover FL, Rove JY, Shroyer ALW. Improving future postoperative atrial fibrillation care: a
30,000-foot viewpoint. Vessel Plus 2022;6:36. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1209.2021.120
Received: 6 Sep 2021 First Decision: 26 Oct 2021 Revised: 8 Nov 2021 Accepted: 10 Dec 2021 Published: 6 Jun 2022

Academic Editors: Frank W. Sellke, Cristiano Spadaccio Copy Editor: Xi-Jun Chen Production Editor: Xi-Jun Chen

Abstract
Aim: In the United States (US), post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common complication
following cardiac surgery. In order to understand the opportunities to improve POAF patients’ care, this “30,000
foot” review evaluated the professional society POAF database/registry definitions and guideline
recommendations.

Methods: All US-based professional society organizations with an interventional cardiac database/registry and/or
cardiac care guidelines were identified; from these, the POAF database definitions and guideline recommendations
were evaluated using a content analysis approach.

Results: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) POAF definition was the most frequently referenced definition
(21% of key references). Only 50% (n = 5/10) US cardiac surgery databases/registries included any POAF
definition; compared to STS, the other five definitions required substantially more detailed documentation. Across
eight guidelines, three different types of POAF recommendations were found: risk assessment (n = 3); prevention
(n =7); and management (n = 8). As a common feature, the risk assessment strategies tended to focus on
advanced age (n = 6). Beta-blockers (n = 5) and amiodarone (n = 6) were common prevention approaches.
Uniformly, anti-coagulation was the only management strategy (n = 8) recommended, barring any
contraindications.

© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

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