USE OF NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN THE PROPHYLAXIS OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION POST CARDIAC SURGERY

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common postoperative complication following cardiac surgery, with incidence of (20 – 50 %) was reported. its occurrence has been linked to the inflammatory process post cardiopulmonary bypass. Objectives: To test whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation post cardiac surgery. Double blind, randomized study conducted at Queen Alia Heart Institute from June 2014 to June 2015 on 200 patients who underwent elective first time coronary artery bypass grafting. Patients were divided into two equal groups; one group of patients was given 400mg of Ibuprofen three times daily while the other group received conventional treatment. The primary end point was the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Results: Atrial fibrillation occurred in 12% of the treatment group in contrast to 27% in the control group P value <0.05%. There was 51.8% decrease in the incidence of AF. The length of hospital stay was found to be significant statistically between the two groups. 4.6 ± 1.3 for the ibuprofen group VS 6.2 ± 2.8 for the control group P <0.05% Conclusion: Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen was found to be relatively safe and effective in reducing the incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting