Abstract
BackgroundLandiolol hydrochloride is a new β-adrenergic blocker with a pharmacological profile that suggests it can be administered safely to patients who have sinus tachycardia or tachyarrhythmia and who require heart rate reduction. This study aimed to investigate whether intraoperative administration of landiolol could reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery.MethodsOf the 200 consecutive patients whose records could be retrieved between October 2006 and September 2007, we retrospectively reviewed a total of 105 patients who met the inclusion criteria: no previous permanent/persistent AF, no permanent pacemaker, no renal insufficiency requiring dialysis, and no reactive airway disease, etc. Landiolol infusion was started after surgery had commenced, at an infusion rate of 1 μg/kg/min, titrated upward in 3–5 μg/kg/min increments. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those who received intraoperative β-blocker therapy with landiolol (landiolol group) and those who did not receive any β-blockers during surgery (control group). An unpaired t test and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare between-group differences in mean values and categorical data, respectively.ResultsSeventeen of the 105 patients (16.2%) developed postoperative atrial fibrillation: 5/57 (8.8%) in the landiolol group and 12/48 (25%) in the control group. There was a significant difference between the two groups (P=0.03). The incidence of AF after valve surgery and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting was lower in the landiolol group, although the difference between the groups was not statistically significant.ConclusionsOur retrospective review demonstrated a marked reduction of postoperative AF in those who received landiolol intraoperatively. A prospective study of intraoperative landiolol for preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation is warranted.
Highlights
Landiolol hydrochloride is a new β-adrenergic blocker with a pharmacological profile that suggests it can be administered safely to patients who have sinus tachycardia or tachyarrhythmia and who require heart rate reduction
We reviewed the records of 200 consecutive patients who underwent elective coronary and/or valve surgery at our institution between October 2006 and September 2007, and who were managed by senior anesthesiologists and cardiologists. (This should signify that the subjects were patients who underwent cardiac surgery performed by surgeons from the same cardiac surgery department, in succession, during a one-year period between October 2006 and September 2007)
17 of 105 patients (16.2%), 5 of 57 (8.8%) in the landiolol group and 12 of 48 (25%) in the control group, developed postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) (P = 0.03)
Summary
Landiolol hydrochloride is a new β-adrenergic blocker with a pharmacological profile that suggests it can be administered safely to patients who have sinus tachycardia or tachyarrhythmia and who require heart rate reduction. This study aimed to investigate whether intraoperative administration of landiolol could reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmic complication after cardiac surgery, with an incidence of approximately 20% to 50% that has not changed despite improvements in anesthesia, surgical techniques, and drug therapy [1]. This is probably due to co-morbidities including older age, left ventricular dysfunction, chronic pulmonary disease, and renal insufficiency, which are . We undertook a retrospective, single-institution study to determine if intraoperative administration of landiolol reduces the incidence of AF after cardiac surgery
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