Conclusions Our meta- analysis indicates that vitamin C may prevent post-operative atrial fibrillation in some countries outside of the USA , and it may also shorten the duration of hospital stay and ICU stay of cardiac surgery patients .
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that is safe and inexpensive .
Background Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) , a common arrhythmia contributing substantially to cardiac morbidity , is associated with oxidative stress and , being an antioxidant , vitamin C might influence it .
Intravenous ascorbic acid infusion improves myocardial perfusion grade during elective percutaneous coronary intervention: relationship with oxidative stress markers.
OBJECTIVES Our goal was to explore whether antioxidant vitamin C infusion is able to affect the microcirculation perfusion in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention for stable angina . BACKGROUND Periprocedural myocardial injury in the setting of elective percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with increased risk of death , recurrent infa rct ion , and revascularization at follow-up . Despite excellent epicardial blood flow , impaired microcirculatory reperfusion may persist and increases the risk of vascular recurrences . Post-percutaneous coronary intervention induced-oxidative stress is one of the potential mechanisms accounting for impaired perfusion . METHODS Fifty-six patients were enrolled in a prospect i ve , single-center , r and omized study comparing 1 g vitamin C infusion ( 16.6 mg/min , over 1 h before percutaneous coronary intervention ) versus placebo . RESULTS At the baseline , Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infa rct ion ( TIMI ) myocardial perfusion grade < 2 was observed in 89 % and in 86 % of patients r and omized to the placebo or vitamin C infusion group , respectively ( p > 0.05 ) . After percutaneous coronary intervention , these percentages decreased in the placebo group ( 32 % ) and in greater measure in the vitamin C group ( 4 % , p < 0.01 ) . Complete microcirculatory reperfusion ( TIMI myocardial perfusion grade = 3 ) was achieved in 79 % of the vitamin C-treated group compared with 39 % of the placebo group ( p < 0.01 ) ; 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine ( p < 0.002 ) and 8-iso-prostagl and in F(2alpha ) ( p < 0.02 ) plasma levels significantly increased in the placebo group while they were significantly reduced in the vitamin C-treated group ( p < 0.0001 ) . TIMI myocardial perfusion grade changes from the baseline showed significant correlation with 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine ( p < 0.006 ) or 8-iso-prostagl and in F(2alpha ) ( p < 0.01 ) plasma levels changes . CONCLUSIONS In patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention , impaired microcirculatory reperfusion is improved by vitamin C infusion suggesting that oxidative stress is implicated in such a phenomenon
Conclusions Our meta- analysis indicates that vitamin C may prevent post-operative atrial fibrillation in some countries outside of the USA , and it may also shorten the duration of hospital stay and ICU stay of cardiac surgery patients .
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that is safe and inexpensive .
Background Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) , a common arrhythmia contributing substantially to cardiac morbidity , is associated with oxidative stress and , being an antioxidant , vitamin C might influence it .