The Impact of Statins on Postdischarge Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery: Secondary Analysis from a Randomized Trial

Background Whether statins reliably reduce the risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery remains controversial. We sought to determine the impact of statin use on new-onset postdischarge POAF in the Post- S urgical E nh a nced Monito r ing for C ardiac Arr h ythmias and A trial F ibrillation (SEARCH-AF) CardioLink-1 randomized controlled trial. Methods We randomized 336 patients with risk factors for stroke (CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score ≥ 2) and no history of preoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) to 30-day continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring after discharge from cardiac surgery with a wearable, patched-based device or to usual care. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of cumulative AF and/or atrial flutter lasting for ≥ 6 minutes detected by continuous monitoring, or AF and/or atrial flutter documented by a 12-lead electrocardiogram within 30 days of randomization. Results The 260 patients (77.4%) discharged on statins were more likely to be male ( P = 0.018) and to have lower CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores ( P = 0.011). Patients treated with statins at discharge had a 2-fold lower rate of POAF than those who were not treated with statins in the entire cohort (18.4% vs 8.1%, log-rank P = 0.0076). On multivariable Cox regression including the CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score adjustment, statin use was associated with a lower risk of POAF (hazard ratio 0.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.98, P = 0.043). Use of statins at a higher intensity was associated with lower risk of POAF, suggestive of a dose–response effect (log-rank P trend = 0.0082). Conclusions The use of statins was associated with a reduction in postdischarge POAF risk among patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The routine use of high-intensity statin to prevent subacute POAF after discharge deserves further study.