COR	LOE	RECOMMENDATIONS
1	A* B-Rt	1. In postoperative cardiac surgery patients, beta blockers* are recommended to achieve rate control for AF1-4 unless contraindicated or ineffective in which case a nondihydropyridine calcium channel blocker† is recommended.5
1	B-R	2. In hemodynamically stable cardiac surgery patients with postoperative AF, rate-control (target heart rate, <100 bpm) and/or rhythm-control medications are recommended as initial therapy, with the choice of strategy according to patient symptoms, hemodynamic consequences of the arrhythmia, and physician preference.5,6
1	B-R	3. In patients who develop poorly tolerated AF after cardiac surgery, direct current cardioversion in combination with antiarrhythmic drug therapy is recommended, with consideration of imaging to rule out left appendage thrombus before cardioversion in those patients in whom AF has been present >48 hours and who have not been on anticoagulation.5,6
2a	B-NR	4. In patients who develop postoperative AF after cardiac surgery, it is reasonable to administer anticoagulation when deemed safe in regard to surgical bleeding for 60 days after surgery unless complications develop and to reevaluate the need for longer term anticoagulation at that time.5,7
2a	C-LD	5. In patients who develop AF after cardiac surgery and who are treated with rate-control strategy, at 30- to 60-day follow-up it is reasonable to perform rhythm assessment and, if AF does not revert to sinus rhythm spontaneously, consider cardioversion after an adequate duration of anticoagulation.5,6

^*A LOE applies to the data on beta blockers.

^†B-R LOE applies to the data on nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.