Surgical Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Rheumatic Mitral Valve Lesion and Left Atrium Enlargement

Preservation or appearance of AF(atrial fibrillation) after mitral valve surgery substantially reduce the number of excellent and good results of the operation in the long-term period, causing circulatory insufficiency, increased pulmonary hypertension, increasing the risk of thromboembolic events and stroke. Significant predictors of AF after surgery are the initial size of the left atrium more than 6.0 cm, stenotic lesions and rheumatic genesis of mitral defect. 80% of patients in this group had AF during the first year after operation.