Effect of prophylactic bisoprolol plus magnesium on the incidence of atrial fibrillation after coronary bypass surgery: results of a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACTObjective: Bisoprolol, a highly cardioselective β1‐blockers, is widely used to treat elderly patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease and heart failure. The current literature lacks evidence regarding its potency to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) following cardiac surgery. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of bisoprolol plus magnesium (Mg) in the prophylaxis of AF after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.Research design and methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients subjected to elective on-pump CABG (84 men, age 65 ± 8 [SD] years), with no prior AF history, were randomly assigned to the prophylaxis group ( n = 50) receiving after surgery bisoprolol (5 mg/day) plus Mg (intravenous infusion of 2 g of Mg on arrival in the intensive care unit, followed by oral Mg at 1800 mg/day for 1 week), or to the control group ( n = 50), receiving no combined study medication but remaining on their preoperative drugs, including β‐blockers. All patients were conti...