Heart : official journal of the British Cardiac Society
-
To investigate the role of low serum magnesium as a trigger for atrial fibrillation in patients with a substrate for the arrhythmia (assessed by signal averaged P wave duration). ⋯ The combination of signal averaged P wave duration and low serum magnesium on the first postoperative day identified the majority of patients with atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery. Early identification and pharmacological treatment for selected patients may reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation.