Colchicine for the Prevention of Postpericardiotomy Syndrome

Postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) is a troublesome complication of cardiac surgery, occurring in 10–45% of cases. Accepted modalities of treatment include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and pericardiectomy in severe cases. The optimal method for prevention of PPS has not been established. Recent trial data have shown that colchicine is efficient in the secondary prevention of recurrent episodes of pericarditis. The iam of the present study was to evaluate the possible benefit of colchicine for the primary prevention of PPS in patients after cardiac surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing this issue.