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Previous Volume 336:1429-1434 May 15, 1997 Number 20 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Atrial tachyarrhythmias early in the recovery period after cardiothoracic surgery are common; they develop in 11 to 40 percent of patients after coronary-artery bypass grafting^1,2,3 and in over 50 percent of patients after valvular surgery.² Technical advances in surgery and anesthesia, as well as changing methods of myocardial protection, have not decreased the incidence of postoperative atrial tachyarrhythmias.^1,3,4 Although such arrhythmias have been thought of as transient and benign, they may have important consequences. Atrial fibrillation, flutter, and tachycardia are related forms of atrial tachyarrhythmia that may coexist in patients after cardiothoracic surgery and have similar clinical and therapeutic implications.

Etiology

. . . [Full Text of this Article]

Risk Factors

Preoperative Factors

Intraoperative Factors

Consequences of Postoperative Arrhythmias

Prevention of Atrial Arrhythmias

Prevention of Thromboembolism

Treatment

Pharmacologic Therapy

Electrical Cardioversion

General Therapeutic Recommendations

Source Information

From the Divisions of Cardiovascular Diseases (S.R.O., M.S.S.) and Cardiovascular Surgery (J.A.O.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Stanton at the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905.

References

Related Letters:

Atrial Arrhythmias after Cardiac Surgery
Hobbs W. J.C., Fitchet A., Cotter L., Walker W. E., Ommen S. R., Stanton M. S., Odell J. A.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1997; 337:860-861, Sep 18, 1997. Correspondence

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• Hobbs, W. J.C., Fitchet, A., Cotter, L., Walker, W. E., Ommen, S. R., Stanton, M. S., Odell, J. A. (1997). Atrial Arrhythmias after Cardiac Surgery. NEJM 337: 860-861 [Full Text]