Cardiovascular

Prolonged Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Predicts Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery.

TL;DR

A subset of cardiac surgery patients demonstrates impaired adaptation to the perioperative inflammatory response, placing them at increased risk for AF both early after surgery and following discharge.

Key Findings

Prolonged SIRS occurred in 6.3% of cardiac surgery patients in the CAREBANK biobank study.

  • 982 total patients underwent cardiac surgery from 2016 to 2021
  • 824 (84%) patients underwent surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)
  • 62 (6.3%) patients developed prolonged SIRS
  • Patients were prospectively enrolled with ongoing follow-up data (NCT03444259)

Transfusion of packed red blood cells was independently associated with development of prolonged SIRS in multivariable analysis.

  • OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.5, P = .03
  • Finding was identified through multivariable analysis
  • This was one of two significant independent predictors of prolonged SIRS identified

First postoperative day C-reactive protein (CRP) level was independently associated with the development of prolonged SIRS.

  • OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0–1.3, per 10 units, P = .002
  • Finding was identified through multivariable analysis
  • This was the stronger of the two significant independent predictors of prolonged SIRS

Patients with prolonged SIRS had significantly higher incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation during index hospitalization compared to non-SIRS patients.

  • OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4–4.0, P < .001
  • Higher incidence of postoperative AF was the main driver of more adverse events during index hospitalization in prolonged SIRS patients
  • Prolonged SIRS patients had more adverse events overall during index hospitalization

At 2 years post-discharge, patients with prolonged SIRS had a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation compared to non-SIRS patients.

  • Hazard ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.6, P = .024
  • The elevated risk extended beyond the immediate postoperative period to long-term follow-up at 2 years
  • This finding suggests prolonged SIRS is associated with both short- and long-term AF risk

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Citation

Viikinkoski E, Lehto J, Relander A, Jalkanen J, Gunn J, Vasankari T, et al.. (2026). Prolonged Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Predicts Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery.. Interdisciplinary cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivag081