What happens if I go back into atrial fibrillation shortly after the surgery?
I try to make it known to every patient that it is a possibility and potentially even a likelihood that patients will have bouts of atrial fibrillation immediately following the surgery and even for the first few weeks. The status of the atrial fibrillation prior to surgery can contribute to the likelihood of going back into atrial fibrillation following the surgery. Just from having the surgery itself and dissecting around the heart may make the heart even more irritable for the first few days or few weeks. For many patients that have been in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation this intermittent atial fibrillation the first few days or weeks is self-limited and will frequently subside as the inflammation around the heart subsides. For other patients, especially those that have chronic atrial fibrillation, the atrial fibrillation can be persistent and we usually plan to convert the patient in a normal sinus rhythm using a cardioversion after that period of inflammation subsides. That is fre
