Increased IL-12p70 Levels in Intraoperative Pericardial Fluid Are Predictive of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Onset after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a frequent complication of heart surgery, prolonging hospital stays, as well as increasing morbidity and mortality rates. While previous studies have investigated the determinants influencing atrial fibrillation (AF) following heart surgery, the specific risk factors contributing to POAF occurrence after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) are not well understood. Here we used the human magnetic Luminex assay to assess whether biomarkers, particularly cytokines, within intraoperative pericardial fluid could serve as predictive markers for POAF onset among CABG individuals.

Methods: In this study we identified 180 patients who underwent CABG with no atrial arrhythmia history. The human magnetic Luminex assay was used to quantify the levels of 36 cytokines in pericardial fluid samples collected during the surgery. The occurrence of POAF was continuously monitored, using both postoperative electrocardiograms and telemetry strips, until the time of discharge.

Results: In our cohort of 124 patients, POAF was observed in 30 patients, accounting for 24.19% of the study population. These patients exhibited significantly higher levels of interleukin (IL)-12p70 in their intraoperative pericardial fluids compared to those with normal sinus rhythms (SR, 0.001). Subsequently, IL-12p70 was found to be an independent risk factor for POAF, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis established a cut-off threshold for predicting POAF onset of 116.435 pg/mL, based on the maximum Youden index (area under the curve: 0.816).

Conclusions: this study establishes a significant association between elevated IL-12p70 levels in intraoperative pericardial fluid and the risk of POAF, particularly when IL-12p70 concentrations exceed the identified cut-off value of 116.435 pg/mL. These findings suggest that IL-12p70 levels could potentially be utilized as a predictive biomarker for the onset of POAF in patients undergoing CABG. This marker may aid in the early identification and management of patients at heightened risk for this complication.