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  • Title: Impact of epicardial anterior fat pad retention on postcardiothoracic surgery atrial fibrillation incidence: the AFIST-III Study.
    Author: White CM, Sander S, Coleman CI, Gallagher R, Takata H, Humphrey C, Henyan N, Gillespie EL, Kluger J.
    Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol; 2007 Jan 23; 49(3):298-303. PubMed ID: 17239710.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVES: We conducted a randomized, blinded, controlled study evaluating the impact of anterior fat pad (AFP) maintenance on postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) incidence. BACKGROUND: Drugs with antiadrenergic effects reduce POAF. Because the epicardial AFP is parasympathetically innervated, its routine excision during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) might precipitate autonomic imbalance and induce POAF. METHODS: Patients (n = 180, mean age = 66 +/- 10 years, 80% men, 5% with previous atrial fibrillation) undergoing CABG surgery were randomized to either AFP maintenance or AFP removal. Routine prophylaxis against POAF with beta-blockers (85%) and amiodarone (28%) was allowed on the basis of caregivers' discretion. The development of POAF, total hospital costs, and heart rate variability was compared between groups. RESULTS: Anterior fat pad maintenance did not reduce POAF incidence (34.8% vs. 35.2%, p = 0.950) or total hospital costs (data as medians with 25%, 75% percentiles: 22,940 dollars [17,629 dollars, 29,274 dollars] vs. 23,866 dollars [18,602 dollars, 30,370 dollars], p = 0.647) but was associated with higher heart rate variability (SD of normal-to-normal RR intervals [SDNN]: 31.7 +/- 24.6 vs. 22.7 +/- 8.3, p = 0.05 and SD of all 5-min mean RR intervals [SDANN 5]: 17.1 +/- 11.9 vs. 10.1 +/- 5.5, p = 0.003) than AFP removal. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining the AFP prevents attenuation of parasympathetic tone after CABG but does not reduce POAF or total hospital costs in any appreciable way.
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