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document
Combination of sotalol and magnesium prevents atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting . BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) is a common complication reported in 20 % to 40 % of patients after coronary operations . Sotalol alone and magnesium alone have been shown to partially decrease the incidence of AF . The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of these two pharmacological agents , used alone or in combination , to reduce postoperative AF . METHODS Two hundred seven consecutive coronary artery bypass patients ( mean age 62 +/- 11 years ) were randomized to receive sotalol alone ( 80 mg twice daily for 5 days starting from the morning of the first postoperative day ) ( group S ) , magnesium alone ( 1.5 g daily for 6 days starting in the operating room just before cardiopulmonary bypass ) ( group M ) , both pharmacologic agents at the same dosages ( group S+M ) , or no antiarrhythmic agents ( group CTR ) . All patients with an ejection fraction less than 0.40 were excluded . RESULTS The incidence of postoperative AF was 11.8 % ( 6/51 ) in the S group , 14.8 % ( 8/54 ) in the M group , 1.9 % ( 1/52 ) in the S+M group , and 38 % ( 19/50 ) in the CTR group . The following differences were significant : group CTR versus groups S , M , and S+M with values of p = 0.002 , p = 0.007 and p < 0.0001 , respectively ; and group S+M versus groups S and M with p = 0.04 and p = 0.01 , respectively . CONCLUSIONS Incidence of AF after coronary operation was significantly reduced by the administration of sotalol alone and magnesium alone ; more importantly , the incidence was further reduced by combining these agents .
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Intervention_Pharmacological
sotalol
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Intervention_Pharmacological
magnesium
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Intervention_Pharmacological
Sotalol alone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
magnesium alone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
alone or in combination
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Intervention_Pharmacological
sotalol alone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
magnesium alone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
both pharmacologic agents at the same dosages
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Intervention_Control
or no antiarrhythmic agents
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Intervention_Pharmacological
sotalol
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Intervention_Pharmacological
magnesium
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Outcome_Physical
postoperative AF .
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Outcome_Physical
incidence of postoperative AF
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Outcome_Physical
Incidence of AF
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Participant_Condition
after coronary operations
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Participant_Sample-size
Two hundred seven