Relation of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Peripheral Blood to Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Isolated Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Oxidative stress has been considered to be an important factor contributing to postoperative atrial fibrillation (PoAF). Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in peripheral blood has been found to be associated with a patient's oxidative stress. Therefore, we sought to determine whether there was association between mtDNA copy number and the onset of atrial fibrillation. mtDNA copy numbers were measured using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in peripheral blood from 485 consecutive patients with sinus rhythm undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The blood was collected before surgery. In the cohort, the incidence of PoAF was 20.8% (101/485). The mean mtDNA copy number was significantly higher in patents with PoAF than in those with sinus rhythm (36.43 vs 16.63, p r  = 0.449, p = 0.01). In conclusion, we showed that elevated mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood is associated with PoAF. Further investigation is needed to validate mtDNA copy number as a predictive biomarker for PoAF and to explore its potential role in arrhythmogenesis.