Loading...
Hypomagnesemia is associated with cardiac arrhythmias, and recent studies indicate that magnesium supplementation may reduce cardiac complications in some patients undergoing cardiac surgery. This randomized, double-blind trial evaluated magnesium therapy in 100 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass. Half the patients received 2 g of magnesium intravenously after the termination of bypass; the others received placebo.
Postoperative ventricular arrhythmias and respiratory complications were more common among patients who were hypomagnesemic after surgery. Patients who received magnesium had a significantly lower frequency of postoperative ventricular arrhythmias than patients given placebo (16 percent v…