Arrhythmias & electrophysiology

New-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation management and outcomes: the VISION Cardiac Surgery cohort

Eur Heart JPublished Prospective cohort study

Main finding · Stroke or vascular deathResult — go to the resultAdjusted hazard ratio 1.32 95% CI 0.99–1.77

Authors' conclusion

New-onset POAF occurs in a third of patients after cardiac surgery; its antithrombotic and antiarrhythmic management varies. Patients with POAF have increased risks of both clinical AF and of all-cause death in the year following surgery.

Study context

Population
Adults undergoing cardiac surgery (55.3% isolated CABG)
Participants
12,234 adults
Exposure
Postoperative AF (POAF) vs no POAF
Outcome
Composite of:
  • Stroke
  • Vascular death
Follow-up
Between 30 days and 1 year postoperatively
Methodological detailsmulticentre, 12 countries
  • Multicentre
  • 12 countries

Main finding

Stroke or vascular death

Adjusted hazard ratio

1.32

95% CI 0.99–1.77

By group

POAFvs No POAF
aHR 1.32 (95% CI 0.99–1.77)

As reported in the abstract

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

OutcomePOAFNo POAFaHR (95% CI)
Clinical AF · 1 year6.9%0.6%11.30 (8.17–15.70)
All-cause death3.0%1.7%1.54 (1.18–2.00)

POAF incidence · within 30 days of surgery

POAF
31.8%

Management of POAF at hospital discharge

Anticoagulation alone
15.6%
Antiplatelets alone
54.3%
Anticoagulation and antiplatelets
23.9%
Neither
6.3%
Amiodarone
48.8%

Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.

Original publication

New-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation management and outcomes: the VISION Cardiac Surgery cohort. Eur Heart J. Published 8 April 2026. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehag236

Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →

Get them every week

New studies on this topic in My Week and in your Monday e-mail.

We e-mail you a sign-in link and a code. No password, no spam.