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 .
Perioperative ascorbic acid supplementation does not reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in on-pump coronary artery bypass graft patients.
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia following cardiac surgery . It is associated with increased hemodynamic instability , systemic embolization , and complications linked to anticoagulant therapy . Oxidative stress and consequent electrophysiological remodeling have been proposed as a cause of postoperative atrial fibrillation . Ascorbic acid supplementation was suggested as a novel and effective preventive agent . The aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of ascorbic acid to reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in coronary artery bypass grafting ( CABG ) patients . METHODS A prospect i ve r and omized single-center trial was conducted in patients scheduled for an elective on-pump CABG surgery . Subjects in the ascorbic acid group received 2 g of ascorbic acid 24h and 2h before the surgery and 1 g twice a day for five days after the surgery . Postoperatively , the patients were monitored for atrial fibrillation and other complications . RESULTS The ascorbic acid group consisted of 52 patients and the control group included 53 patients . The groups were well matched for baseline demographics , preoperative medications , comorbidities , and had similar intraoperative characteristics . The incidence of atrial fibrillation in the ascorbic acid group was 13.5 % and 18.9 % in the control group ( p=0.314 ) . No difference was found between groups in the time of occurrence of atrial fibrillation ( 3.71±1.89 vs. 2.91±1.58 days after the surgery ; p=0.342 ) . There was also no difference in the other observed postoperative complications . CONCLUSIONS The results of this study do not support the effectiveness of ascorbic acid supplementation in reducing the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in elective on-pump CABG patients
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 .