Predicting risk of abnormal heartbeat after surgery

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a type of arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat. More than 2 million people in the United States have this condition. If AF is not treated quickly, it can be deadly. It can lead to strokes, heart attacks, or heart failure. Many conditions can make a person more likely to have AF. These include high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Some genes also play a role in AF. Many people develop AF after having heart surgery. Patients with this type of AF may have to stay in the hospital longer. This form of AF can also be deadly. Vanderbilt researchers have come up with a way to predict who may get AF after surgery. The score is based on the patient’s genes and other risk factors (like other diseases that make AF more likely). This score tells us how likely a patient is to have AF. This project will use BioVU samples and medical records to see how well this prediction score works. The researchers will also look for new genes linked to AF. Finding more genes could help help us predict who is at high risk of AF after surgery.