Preoperative Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio is not associated with Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract Background Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and is associated with increased short and long-term mortality. While the precise etiology of POAF remains unclear, inflammation is a known contributing factor. Preliminary studies have suggested that an elevated preoperative platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), an inexpensive and readily available novel inflammatory biomarker, may be associated with increased incidence of POAF following CABG. This study sought to further investigate this hypothesis. Methods The study cohort included all patients undergoing isolated CABG, with no prior history of arrhythmia, who were operated on between August 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018 at a major Australian tertiary center (n=1,457). Patients were divided into the ‘low' ( Results Of 1,457 patients, 495 (34.0%) developed POAF. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of POAF between patients in the high and low PLR groups (34.8% vs 31.0%, p=0.22). Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, high PLR was not independently associated with POAF (OR 1.04, p=0.78). Conclusions Elevated preoperative PLR is not independently associated with POAF in patients undergoing isolated CABG. The findings of this study differ from those of two previous smaller studies.