Body Mass Index as a Predictor of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background Atrial Fibrillation (AF) has been one of the most commonly found arrhythmia in daily practice. This also applies in the settings of post coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries. Post-operative Atrial Fibrillation (POAF) prevalence has been reported not less than 33 % in CABG surgeries and is linked primarily to advanced age, followed by obesity and male population. As the number of obesity as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) risk has increased, identifying body mass index (BMI) as a risk factor for POAF could be of importance, noting that obesity is a modifiable risk factor. Methods This study was a retrospective observational investigation of 131 CAD patients undergoing CABG from August 2012 to March 2016 in Tarakan Hospital, Jakarta. BMI was stratified using WHO Asia Pacific Criteria. Baseline characteristics and peri-operative risk factors were analyzed through binary logistic regression to predict POAF. Results The total incidence of POAF in this study population is 11 % (n=15) and has the highest incidence in Obesity group (53 %, n=15). In contrast, we found no POAF in other BMI groups. Using binary logistic regression, BMI stands as the only risk factor that strongly predicts POAF (OR 1.76, CI 95 %; 1.50 – 1.90, pless than0.001) Conclusion Obesity, which is represented by the increasing of BMI, is a strong single independent risk factor that predicts POAF