Incidence and Prognostic Impact of Atrial Fibrillation After Discharge Following Revascularization for Significant Left Main Coronary Artery Narrowing

The incidence, recurrence rate, and prognostic significance of atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF) following hospital discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) are unknown. We sought to determine the 3-year incidence and clinical impact of postdischarge AF in patients with LMCAD treated with PCI or CABG. In the EXCEL trial, 1,905 patients with LMCAD were randomized to PCI versus CABG. We analyzed the occurrence of postdischarge AF through 3 years and its time-adjusted association with adverse outcomes. A total of 1,802 patients without AF at baseline comprised the study cohort. Within 3 years, 227 episodes of AF occurred (29 [12.8%] in the PCI arm and 198 [87.2%] in the CABG arm, p <0.0001); of those, 63 (27.7%) occurred following discharge from the index hospitalization in 57 patients. In-hospital AF predicted postdischarge AF (hazard ratio [HR] 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42 to 6.10, p = 0.004). By multivariable analysis, time-updated postdischarge AF was an independent predictor of 3-year cardiovascular death (HR 4.91, 95% CI 1.92 to 12.60, p = 0.0009), stroke (HR 4.87, 95% CI 1.12 to 21.12, p = 0.035), and the composite outcome of death, stroke or myocardial infarction (HR 3.09, 95% CI 1.56 to 3.6-6.11, p = 0.001). Among patients with postdischarge AF, the rate of the primary composite outcome did not vary according to presence or absence of in-hospital AF (21.0% vs 23.8%, p = 0.78). In conclusion, postdischarge AF following CABG or PCI for LMCAD is associated with increased mortality and stroke. In-hospital atrial fibrillation is an independent predictor of AF following discharge.