Perioperative magnesium supplementation to prevent atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery surgery: a randomized controlled study

Objective: Atrial fibrillation is a common complication after cardiac surgery. Magnesium is an effective and safe antiarrhythmic agent for arrhythmias that develop after cardiac surgery. The authors performed a study to evaluate the role of perioperative magnesium for prophylaxis of atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery surgery. Design: Randomized controlled study. Setting: University teaching hospital. Participants: One hundred sixty consecutive patients undergoing elective, isolated, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were prospectively randomized into 2 groups. Interventions: Patients in the magnesium group (n = 80) received a 2.5-g (20 mEq) magnesium sulphate infusion intraoperatively over 30 minutes, and the placebo group (n = 80) received normal saline solution. Measurements and main results: Postoperative atrial fibrillation occurred in 16 of 80 patients (20%) in the magnesium group and in 18 of 80 (22.5%) in the placebo group (p = 0.9). Conclusion: The use of 2.5 g of intraoperative magnesium showed no effect in preventing atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery bypass

Myocardial necrosis biomarkers after different cardiac surgical operations

A high postoperative peak of cardiac Troponin I is associated to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality after cardiac operations. The aim of this study was to investigate the release of cardiac Troponin I in different cardiac surgical procedures