Every year, thousands of patients develop an abnormal heart beat after having major surgery. Usually doctors tell their patients not to worry about the arrhythmia, but according to a new study, maybe they should be more worried.

The new study, published in JAMA, suggests that patients who develop these abnormal heart rhythms are more at risk for developing strokes. These heart rhythms are called atrial fibrillation, or A-fib. The researchers found that patients who have at least one episode of A-fib have a higher risk of developing a future stroke.

A-fib is the most common form of irregular heartbeat, and it affects more than 33 million people worldwide, and this finding makes sense next to previous research that shows people with A-fib are three times more likely to suffer from a stroke.

A-fib can cause irregular blood flow that can lead to clots and increase a patient's risk for stroke.

The study, led by Dr. Gino Gialdini, found that people who developed A-fib during hospital stays for surgery had two-fold increased risk of having strokes within the next year. In patients with heart surgery, there was a 30 percent increase in stroke risk.

Gialdini and his colleagues believe this finding may help doctors provide better care for patients after surgeries.

The study analyzed 1.7 million patients in California. Of these patients, almost 1.5 percent, 24,700 people, developed atrial fibrillation. Of the 24,700 patients, almost 14,000 of the patients suffered an ischemic stroke.  

"We want patients and clinicians to be aware that having [atrial fibrillation] after surgery does have long term implications and has to be followed up on after surgery is over," said Dr. Hooman Kamel, a senior author on the study.

Researchers hope this will encourage doctors to communicate with their patients the risk of A-fib and then potential risks that may occur. Additionally, doctors need to be sure to document the condition if found in patients and to create treatment plans that reduce the risk of stroke.

Researchers are still trying to separate the risks from the stress coming from the surgery and any underlying condition that could be present.

Regardless, if patients have any heart irregularities post-surgery, they should discuss it with their doctors for monitoring.