Pacing and clinical electrophysiology : PACE
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Pacing Clin Electrophysiol · Oct 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialProphylactic high-dose oral-N-acetylcysteine does not prevent atrial fibrillation after heart surgery: a prospective double blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial.
Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) following cardiac surgery is a frequent complication with multifactorial etiologies. Recently inflammation due to enhanced oxidative stress has been implicated in its pathogenesis. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a promising and novel antioxidant agent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of high-dose oral-NAC for prevention of POAF. ⋯ Prophylactic high-dose oral-NAC begun 2 days before open heart surgery and continued for 5 days, and had no significant effect on the incidence of POAF, in-hospital stay, and postoperative morbidity or mortality.
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Pacing Clin Electrophysiol · Oct 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEnd-of-life care in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: a MADIT-II substudy.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)-delivered shocks can cause substantial distress, warranting consideration of ICD deactivation at end of life. This study was designed to describe the patterns of end-of-life management in patients with ICDs. ⋯ In patients with terminal conditions who are at risk for imminent death, active management of the patient's ICD, including timely discussions regarding ICD deactivation, may reduce the risk of ICD shocks during the end of life.