Magnesium

[Guest guest]

Victor, if you're still on, could you come into the chat room?

Lawrence

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/4/01 5:27:48 PM Eastern Standard Time,

thewxvan@... writes:

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> http://cardiology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/02/02.01/20010131clin005.html

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For those who do not have a medscape password, here is the full text of this

article. Although it says " new " this does not seem very new to me! Anyway,

it confirms that magnesium received intravenously can help with AF, at least

in certain cases.

Victor

New Magnesium Regimen Reduces Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation After CABG NEW

ORLEANS (Reuters Health) Jan 31 - The incidence of atrial fibrillation, a

common and dreaded complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), is

reduced when a novel magnesium regimen is administered, according to study

findings presented Tuesday at the 37th annual meeting of The Society of

Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Huseyin Cem Alhan and colleagues, from Acybadem

Hospital, in Istanbul, Turkey, assessed the ability of magnesium to prevent

postoperative atrial fibrillation by randomizing 200 patients undergoing CABG

to receive 1.5 g of magnesium sulfate in 100 mL 0.9% saline or saline alone,

1 day before, during, and 4 days after surgery. Patient demographics were

similar between the groups. The researchers found that 2% of

magnesium-treated patients experienced postoperative atrial fibrillation,

significantly fewer than the 21% of untreated patients who manifested this

arrhythmia. " Many other studies have shown that magnesium has an effect on

atrial fibrillation, but the appropriate dose and timing of infusion was not

clear, " Dr. Alhan told Reuters Health. " While many patients are hospitalized

prior to their surgery, we found that even patients who do not receive the

preoperative dose still have lower rates of atrial fibrillation. " " There are

no contraindications to magnesium therapy, we give it to patients with normal

as well as low magnesium levels, " Dr. Alhan stated. " In the elderly it has

been shown that patients may be total body magnesium deficient, but have

normal serum levels, " he explained. " We are not sure if the therapeutic

mechanism is replenishment of a deficiency or a pharmacologic effect of the

drug. " " Atrial fibrillation is not the most serious complication after

cardiac surgery, but it is the most common, " Dr. Alhan pointed out. " It has a

strong impact on the hospital length of stay and therefore on the cost

associated with cardiac surgery, " he noted. " The patients who received

magnesium in this study went home earlier, " Dr. Alhan emphasized.