Predictive value of preoperative echocardiographic assessment for postoperative atrial fibrillation after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

backgroundPostoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is not uncommon. The aim of this study is to examine whether preoperative transthoracic echocardiography is useful for predicting new-onset POAF in esophageal cancer.

methodsIn this prospective observational study, we evaluated 200 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy at our hospital between January 2016 and July 2019. Conventional echocardiographic assessment and tissue Doppler imaging were performed before surgery. We investigated the utility of preoperative transthoracic echocardiography for predicting new-onset POAF in esophageal cancer.

resultsNew-onset POAF occurred in 51 (25.5%) of 200 patients. POAF was significantly associated with older age (p = 0.007), higher body mass index (p = 0.020), preoperative hypertensive disease (p = 0.021), and lower hemoglobin level (p = 0.028). The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly higher in patients with POAF than in patients without POAF (43.1% vs. 24.2%, p = 0.013). Transthoracic echocardiography showed that left atrial diameter (LAD) and E wave/e' wave ratio (E/e') were significantly higher in patients with POAF than in patients without POAF (34.1 vs. 31.3 mm, p < 0.001 and 11.6 vs. 10.5, p = 0.003, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that LAD ≥ 36.0 mm, E/e' ≥ 8.4 are independent risk factors for POAF (odds ratios 2.47 and 3.64; p values 0.035 and 0.027, respectively)

conclusionsPreoperative echocardiographic evaluation is useful for predicting the onset of POAF after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Risk stratification using LAD and E/e' enables clinicians to identify patients at high risk for POAF before esophagectomy.