Sir,
Thank you for taking interest in the article and sending comments across. Post operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common perioperative arrhythmia which may develop as a result of adrenergic stimulation or systemic inflammation in the perioperative period in the presence of susceptible myocardium or electrolyte abnormalities. Though postoperative inflammation is a major cause of POAF.[1] since we had not tested any of the markers for inflammation, it had not been included in the study.
Hidayet et al. in their study stated that three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography can be used as a noninvasive method to show subclinical atrial volume and mechanical dysfunction in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft. Also, blood levels of NT-pro ANP in POAF group are increased in patients developing POAF.[2] Neither 3D echos nor NT-pro ANP are done for our patients. They would have been useful predictive tools for development of POAF.
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REFERENCES
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