Evaluation of the results and complications of posterior pericardiotomy in coronary artery bypass graft surgery at Farshchian Heart center in Hamadan

Introdution: Postoperative bleeding, pericardial effusion and arrhythmia (especially atrial fibrillation) are among the most common and important postoperative complications of CABG. Postoperative pericardial effusion can cause tamponade and also increases the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Posterior pericardiotomy is performed to reduce the incidence of pericardial effusion and its complications. This study aimed to investigating the results of posterior pericardiotomy in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Material and Methods: In this descriptive / cross-sectional study, 145 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting at Farshchian Heart center from March 2019 until March 2020 were selected by convenience and consecutive sampling method and examined for early results of posterior pericardiotomy. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 at 95% confidence level. Results: The mean age of patients was 63.96 years, 75.2% were male and 24.8% were female. 91% of operations were elective and 55.9% were on pump CABG .The incidence of postoperative Atrial fibrillation was 9.66%, pericardial effusion was seen in 3.36%patients, which was mild in 2.67% and moderate in.69%cases.Tamponade was not seen in any case .The overall mean drainage of all chest drains from the beginning to the time of drain removal, was about 795±409 cc. Conclusion: Posterior pericardiotomy is a simple and safe method of draining posterior pericardial space that may be effective in reducing the incidence of atrial fibrillation, pericardial effusion and pleural effusion after coronary artery bypass grafting.