Prediction of atrial fibrillation via atrial electromechanical interval after coronary artery bypass grafting

We assessed the validity of the atrial electromechanical interval, measured by transthoracic tissue Doppler echocardiography, in determining patients at risk of post-coronary artery bypass graft atrial fibrillation (AF). This prospective study recruited 355 patients in sinus rhythm who were candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting. The patients underwent a preoperative transthoracic echocardiography with a tissue Doppler evaluation and were monitored with continuous ECG telemetry during their hospital stay. Sixty-eight patients had postoperative AF (19.2%), with the incident occurring 2.3+/-0.7 days after surgery. The median length of hospitalization was 7.0 days for the AF patients and 6.0 days for the non-AF patients (P