The influence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (as identified using NCEP-ATP III clinical criteria) on postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) was retrospectively examined in a cohort of 5,085 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery without concomitant valvular surgery. In older patients (>50 years old), mild obesity (BMI 30-35 kg/m2) or moderate to severe obesity (BMI≥35 kg/m2) increased risk of POAF (relative risks: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.10-1.71 and 2.31; 95% CI: 1.71-3.13 for moderate and moderate to severe obesity, respectively). However, in younger patients (≤50 years old), the presence of the metabolic syndrome increased risk of POAF (relative risk: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.10-5.12) while obesity did not. These results provide evidence of another cardiovascular complication associated with the metabolic syndrome and suggest that focus should be placed on preventing these potent modifiable risk factors in order to reduce the cardiovascular risk associated with certain surgical procedures.
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