C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in predicting atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting

Objectives: In the present study, the purpose was to investigate the usability of the preoperative C-reactive protein/albumin ratio as a predictor of the development of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting. Patients and methods: A total of 336 patients (228 males, 108 females; mean age: 58.1±8.5 years; range 35 to 88 years) who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass between January 2019 and January 2021 were reviewed in the single-center, retrospective study. Those with postoperative sinus rhythm were considered Group 1 (n=258), and patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation were defined as Group 2 (n=78). Preoperative routine biochemical tests of the patient groups were evaluated. Results: The incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation was 23.2%. Statistically significant differences were detected between the two groups in terms of age (p<0.001) and previous percutaneous coronary intervention (p=0.028). In multivariate analysis, age, hemoglobin, mean platelet volume, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein/albumin ratio variables were found to be independent predictive factors of postoperative atrial fibrillation development (p<0.001, p=0.005, p=0.002, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Preoperative hemoglobin, mean platelet volume, calculated neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein/albumin ratio values can be used as predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation development in patients who will undergo coronary artery bypass grafting.