Functional Insufficiency of Mitral and Tricuspid Valves Associated With Atrial Fibrillation: Impact of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence on Surgical Outcomes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To identify the factors associated with adverse outcomes following surgery for functional insufficiency of the mitral valve (MV) or tricuspid valve (TV) associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: We evaluated 100 patients (age, 66.5±10.0 years; 47 males) who consecutively underwent surgery for functional insufficiency of the MV or TV associated with AF between January 2000 and December 2020 at our center. The primary outcome was a composite endpoint of all-cause death, valve reoperation, congestive heart failure (CHF) requiring rehospitalization, and stroke. RESULTS: During follow-up (532 patients-years [PYs]), adverse events included death in 16 (3.0%/yr), MV reoperation in 1 (0.2%/yr), CHF in 14 (2.6%/yr), and stroke in 5 (0.9%/yr) patients, demonstrating a 5-year rate of freedom from the primary endpoint of 69.5%. The rate of postoperative AF was high even in those who underwent AF ablation (n=92), with cumulative rates of 48.1% at 1 year and 60.2% at 5 years. In multivariable analyses, the primary outcome was significantly associated with age (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.10; p=0.005), chronic kidney disease (aHR, 7.76; 95% CI, 2.28-26.38; p=0.001), left atrial appendage exclusion (aHR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.16-1.78; p=0.010), and postoperative AF as a time-varying covariate (aHR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.50-7.40; p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Among patients undergoing surgery for functional atrioventricular insufficiency associated with AF, a significant proportion showed recurrence of AF over time after concomitant AF ablation, which was significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes.