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.