New onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (AFib, or abnormal heartbeat) occurs in one-out-of-five heart surgery patients and is associated with an increased risk of additional complications, including double the risk of death, according to a study in the August 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. "New onset postoperative atrial fibrillation is the most common complication following cardiac surgery," said lead study author Damien J. LaPar, MD, MSc, from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "If we could find ways to reduce the incidence, we could see better o...