Independent Effect of Digoxin in Preventing Atrial Fibrillation in High Risk Patients after CABG Surgery
Year: 2007
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most com-mon arrhythmias after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. AF can result in hemodynamic instability, throm-boembolic events, increase the perioperative myocardial in-farction, congestive heart failure, stroke, more length of hospi-tal stay (LOHS) and cost of treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the independent effect of digoxin in prevent-ing AF after CABG in patients who had a predictor for AF and had already been on other anti-arrhythmic drugs. Methods: In a prospective randomized clinical trail, using alternate randomization, 239 patients categorized into three different groups. Group one consisted of 72 patients who had at least one predictor for developing AF after CABG. Group two consisted of 67 patients with the same predictors who received 0.5 mg intravenous digoxin after disconnect-ing from bypass pump followed by 0.25 mg intravenous digoxin one hour and four hours later. Oral daily digoxin (0.25 mg) was continued from the first post operation day to the 14th day with 2 days off per week. One hundred pa-tients without those predictors for AF were randomly allo-cated in group three to confirm the impact of those predic-tors on developing AF. Results: AF occurred in 16 patients (22.2%) in group 1, six patients (8.8%) in group 2, and seven patients (7%) in group 3. The duration of AF was 6.43±4.23 min in group 1, 1.2±1.41min in group 2, and 47.18±67.29 min in group 3. Conclusion: Intraoperative digoxin can independently de-crease the incidence of AF after CABG surgery in patients with high risk factors for AF.
Authors: Mohammad Hassan Nemati, Mehdi Eskandari
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W2157268077