Postoperative atrial fibrillation as a risk factor for cardiovascular complications in non-cardiac surgery

Reducing mortality due to cardiovascular complications (CVC) after non-cardiac surgery is one of the priority tasks of modern healthcare. According to the literature data, it is the CVC that are leading cause of perioperative mortality in non-cardiac surgery. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication after surgery. It is believed that in most cases the AF is potentiated by a combination of factors. It is intraoperative triggers, such as deliberate hypotension, anemia, injury, and pain, that can directly contribute to development of arrhythmia. However, heart rate monitoring after non-cardiac surgery is performed in only a small number of patients, so in most cases, arrhythmias remain unreported. The Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) and theAmericanCollegeof Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) Surgical Risk Calculator are the current tools for assessing perioperative cardiovascular risk. Postoperative AF is not included in any CVC risk stratification system. The presented review systematizes the data that postoperative AF is closely associated with perioperative complications and in some cases it may be the only marker of these complications.  It has been shown that AF detection is of great clinical importance in both high-risk patients and, especially, in patients with a low risk of potential complications in non-cardiac surgery.