World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Apr 2008
Increased N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level predicts atrial fibrillation after surgery for esophageal carcinoma.
To evaluate the value of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level for predicting postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal carcinoma. ⋯ An elevated perioperative plasma BNP level is a strong and independent predictor of postoperative AF in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal carcinoma. This finding has important implications for identifying patients at higher risk of postoperative AF who should be considered for preventive antiarrhythmic therapy.