The Use of Statins to Prevent Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

There is no agreement on whether statins influence the incidence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting. We performed a meta-analysis of 12 studies that compared statins with controls. Statin therapy significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) (odds ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.73) and length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference, -0.72; 95% confidence interval, -0.99 to -0.45), an effect that survived detailed subgroup analysis. Meta-regression analysis revealed that patient characteristics did not influence the extent of improvement in the incidence of POAF attributable to statins. In conclusion, patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting benefit from perioperative treatment with statins, which significantly reduce the incidence of POAF and length of hospital stay.