Prophylaxis for Patients at Risk to Eliminate Post-operative Atrial Fibrillation
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
After surgery on the lungs or esophagus, 12-46% of patients experience an irregular heart
rhythm called atrial fibrillation. Although usually transient, post-operative atrial
fibrillation is associated with longer stay in hospital, greater complications, and increased
risk of death. Several medications have been shown to be effective at reducing the risk of
atrial fibrillation after their surgery with the greatest effectiveness and safety
demonstrated with amiodarone. Nevertheless, amiodarone has potential side effects, and so it
is only recommended in patients with increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation. A tool
has been developed and validated to identify high-risk patients but no clinical trial has
looked at the effectiveness of administering amiodarone in this high-risk group. This study
aims to assess the feasibility and safety of conducting a clinical trial where patients are
randomized to receive amiodarone or placebo. This is critical before considering a full-scale
trial to assess the effectiveness of amiodarone in reducing atrial fibrillation after surgery
on the lungs or esophagus.