Left lobectomy might be a risk factor for atrial fibrillation following pulmonary lobectomy.

Objective: To identify risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) following lobectomy for a pulmonary malignant tumour.

Methods: The outcomes of patients who underwent lobectomy from February 2005 to September 2010 were analysed with respect to the development of postoperative AF.

Results: Among 186 patients, 20 developed AF and these had significantly higher preoperative B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) than those without AF. A significantly high incidence of AF following pulmonary lobectomy was demonstrated in the group of patients who were male, underwent a thoracotomy, had a high preoperative value of BNP and underwent a left lobectomy. Multivariate analysis revealed that left lobectomy is the only independent risk factor. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for BNP to predict postoperative AF following a left lobectomy for a pulmonary malignant tumour was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.70-0.93; P<0.05). A BNP level of 24.1 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 56% for predicting postoperative AF following left lobectomy for a pulmonary malignant tumour.

Conclusions: Left lobectomy is the only independent risk factor for postoperative AF. Elevated BNP is the risk factor for postoperative AF in patients undergoing left pulmonary lobectomy.