Tuesday, December 20, 2011

COLCHICINE MAY HELPL PREVENT AFIB AFTER HEART SURGERY

MedPage Today (11/19, Susman) reported, "The oral agent colchicine -- a drug almost as old as the hills-- appears to offer a new way to prevent atrial fibrillation (Afib) after heart surgery," according to a study presented at the American Heart Association meeting and published in Circulation. Investigators found that "the relative risk of developing postop Afib was reduced 42.1% if patients were treated with colchicine rather than placebo (P=0.002)." The researchers found that "the incidence of atrial fibrillation at 12 months was 8.9% in patients given colchicine compared with 21.1% among patients randomized to placebo."

POSTED BY: Steven Almany M.D.

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