Abstract
Introduction:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Data comparing the occurrence of AF after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is unknown.
Methods:
We identified all studies reporting outcomes after TAVI in all available electronic databases. Meta-analysis of all the studies was performed using random effects model to a) evaluate the incidence of AF and b) compare the incidence of AF between TAVI and SAVR.
Results:
The incidence of AF was reported in 7 studies, 5 prospective observational studies and 2 randomized controlled studies. The cumulative event rate for new onset AF at 30 days after TAVI was 0.1 (95% CI; 0.06 -0.17). Three studies reported incidence of AF after TAVI and SAVR. The odds ratio (OR) of developing new onset AF with TAVI compared to SAVR was 0.3 (95% CI; 0.10 - 0.88) at 30 days. One year outcome of new onset AF was reported in only two studies. Although, the incidence of AF was lower in the TAVI group, this did not reach statistical significance (OR 0.7, 95% CI; 0.46 -1.07).
Conclusion:
The incidence of new onset AF after TAVI is 10% within the first 30 days. This risk is 70% lower in patients undergoing TAVI compared to SAVR. The impact of AF after TAVI in terms of stroke, mortality and future recurrences of AF are unknown. Further studies are therefore necessary to study these outcomes.