2005 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 90-93
Atrial fibrillation (af) is a common complication after lung resection. We examined the relationship between the frequency of af and some risk factors, including low serum potassium levels, in 134 patients who did not have af before undergoing lung resection. Postoperatively, 19 (14.2%) experienced af, and their mean age was higher than that of the 115 patients who did not develop af (70.5 years vs. 62.4 years, p=0.02). Men were more likely to develop af: The male to female ratio was 3.8 to 1 in the group of patients with af, compared with 1 to 1 in the group of patients without af (p=0.03). The mean perioperative fluid balance was +1389ml in the group of patients with af, compared with +960ml in the group of patients without af (p=0.002). The incidence of af in the patients who underwent pneumonectomy or lobectomy was significantly higher than that in the patients who underwent segmentectomy or wedge resection (16 of 71: 22.5% vs. 3 of 63: 4.8%, p=0.005). There was no significant difference (p=0.37) in serum potassium level between the patients with and without af, suggesting that a low serum potassium level does not contribute to the incidence of af after lung resection.
