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Does Anterior Fat Pad Removal Reduce the Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation after CABG? A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Author(s) -
LIU SHANXIN,
JING YUNYAN,
ZHANG JUHONG,
BIAN CHANG,
ZHANG YU,
ZHANG XINGWEI
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/pace.12740
Subject(s) - medicine , atrial fibrillation , randomized controlled trial , cardiology , incidence (geometry) , meta analysis , physics , optics
Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Several prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the effect of intact and removed anterior fat pads on the incidence of AF after CABG with conflicting results. We collected these RCTs and conducted a meta‐analysis to determine whether anterior fat pad removal is effective in preventing the new onset of AF after CABG. Methods and Results Prospective RCTs were collected for analysis and the main outcomes include the occurrence of AF after CABG, total hospital stay, and major complications. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.0.18 software (The Cochrane Collaboration), and pooled estimates of the effect were reported as risk ratios (RRs) or mean differences (MDs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The results of this meta‐analysis indicate that anterior fat pad removal was not associated with a decreased risk of occurrence of AF after CABG (RR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.88–2.03; P = 0.18), and it also did not increase the risk of major complications (RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.75–1.47; P = 0.79) or lengthen total hospital stay (MD = 0.06, 95% CI: −0.46 to 0.58; P = 0.83) compared with the control group. Conclusion Anterior fat pad removal did not decrease the risk of the occurrence of AF after CABG despite its safety and convenience, and it should not be used to prevent new‐onset AF after CABG unless new evidence is provided.