Corticosteroids prevented atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

摘要

Increasing evidence exists that inflammation is associated with a highernrisk for atrial fibrillation. The well-designed trial by Halonen and colleaguesnfound that 3 days of intravenous hydrocortisone, started thenevening after cardiac surgery, was associated with a reduced incidencenof postoperative atrial fibrillation from 48% to 30%. This interestingnfinding suggests a cause-and-effect relation between inflammation andnpostoperative atrial fibrillation. However, it is unlikely that this trial willnlead to widespread acceptance of the intervention for at least 3 reasons.