Tess McGrath
Research Mentor: Barbara Hamilton
Mentor Department: Cardiac Surgery, Medicine
Author(s): Tess McGrath, Barbara Hamilton
Session: Session 4 (1:00 PM – 1:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 72
Abstract
This project focused on outcomes research among patients undergoing open or endovascular cardiac surgery to determine how reviewing historical clinical data can improve surgical care. Postoperative atrial fibrillation and mitral or tricuspid regurgitation are possible after cardiac surgery, but we do not fully understand how often they occur or how they are related, which emphasizes the importance of studying these outcomes using existing patient data. A retrospective chart review was conducted using EMERSE (Electronic Medical Record Search Engine), and relevant data from 122 patients were recorded and organized into an Excel spreadsheet. The focus of the research was post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF), and the presence and severity of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation following the operation. History and physical (H&P) and discharge summary notes were reviewed to determine the presence or absence of pre-operative and post-operative atrial fibrillation. Then, follow-up echocardiograms were examined for the presence of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. The severity of each type of regurgitation was graded on a scale from 0-5. The mean mitral gradient from the last follow-up echocardiogram was also recorded. Although data analysis is still ongoing, this project is expected to identify trends in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation before and after surgery and examine whether post-operative regurgitation is associated with these patterns. Planned statistical analyses include Student’s t-tests and Kaplan–Meier survival curves to evaluate time-dependent postoperative outcomes. Overall, this project could help inform future research and clinical understanding of atrial fibrillation and valvular regurgitation in cardiac surgery patients.
