Publications (2)44.76 Total impact
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Article: Corticosteroids for the prevention of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial.
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ABSTRACT: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia to occur after cardiac surgery. An exaggerated inflammatory response has been proposed to be one etiological factor. To test whether intravenous corticosteroid administration after cardiac surgery prevents AF after cardiac surgery. A double-blind, randomized multicenter trial (study enrollment August 2005-June 2006) in 3 university hospitals in Finland of 241 consecutive patients without prior AF or flutter and scheduled to undergo first on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, aortic valve replacement, or combined CABG surgery and aortic valve replacement. Patients were randomized to receive either 100-mg hydrocortisone or matching placebo as follows: the first dose in the evening of the operative day, then 1 dose every 8 hours during the next 3 days. In addition, all patients received oral metoprolol (50-150 mg/d) titrated to heart rate. Occurrence of AF during the first 84 hours after cardiac surgery. The incidence of postoperative AF was significantly lower in the hydrocortisone group (36/120 [30%]) than in the placebo group (58/121 [48%]; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.83; P = .004; number needed to treat, 5.6). Compared with placebo, patients receiving hydrocortisone did not have higher rates of superficial or deep wound infections, or other major complications. Intravenous hydrocortisone reduced the incidence of AF after cardiac surgery. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00442494.JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association 04/2007; 297(14):1562-7. · 30.03 Impact Factor -
Article: Intravenous administration of metoprolol is more effective than oral administration in the prevention of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery.
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ABSTRACT: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia to occur after cardiac surgery, with an incidence of 20% to 40%. AF is associated with postoperative complications, including increased risk of stroke and need of additional treatment, as well as prolonged hospital stay and increased costs. It has been shown that prophylactic oral administration of beta-blocker therapy reduces the incidence of postoperative AF after cardiac surgery. However, it is possible that absorption of drugs is impaired after cardiopulmonary perfusion associated with cardiac surgery. The purpose of this prospective, controlled, randomized trial was to study compare intravenous and per oral metoprolol administration in the prevention of AF after cardiac surgery. 240 consecutive patients who were scheduled to undergo their first on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), aortic valve replacement, or combined aortic valve replacement and CABG were randomized to receive 48-hour infusion of metoprolol or oral metoprolol starting on the first postoperative morning. Patients were excluded if they had contraindications for beta-blocker or had to stay >1 day in the intensive care unit. Dosage of metoprolol was adjusted according to heart rate. The dosage was 1 to 3 mg/h in the intravenous group and from 25 mg twice per day to 50 mg 3 times per day in the oral group. The incidence of postoperative AF was significantly lower in the intravenous group than in the oral group (16.8% versus 28.1%, P=0.036). No serious adverse effects were associated with intravenous metoprolol therapy. Our study suggests that intravenous metoprolol is well-tolerated and more effective than oral metoprolol in the prevention of AF after cardiac surgery.Circulation 08/2006; 114(1 Suppl):I1-4. · 14.74 Impact Factor
