Clinical Research Directory

Inclusion criteria are adults, including women and minorities \> 18 years of age, who are also willing to participate for the duration of the trial (6 weeks). All non-congenital cardiac operations are included: Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, valve repair/replacement, or combination of CABG and heart valve operations. Patients should be able to access iPhones and download ECGs using their electronic Devices. Exclusion criteria Patients with prior (within 6 months) or current atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter, patients undergoing concomitant surgical AF ablation or a history of AF, transcatheter aortic valve replacement or other minimally invasive procedures, prior cerebrovascular event, cardiogenic shock or resuscitation, evidence of hepatic or renal dysfunctions (i.e., an alanine aminotransferase level that is ≥ twice the upper limit of the normal range, or either a serum creatinine level that is ≥ 2.0 mg/dL or need for preoperative dialysis) are excluded. Other exclusion criteria are the following: thyrotoxicosis, pregnancy, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, with FEV1/FVC \<70%), recent history of drug or alcohol abuse, and intolerance to tetracycline or amiodarone. Because a core scientific basis of this trial concerning the role of underlying atrial tissue inflammatory/apoptotic activity, patients with inflammatory conditions such as lupus, severe arthritis, thyroiditis or inflammatory bowel disease are excluded; as are patients taking preoperative immunosuppressant agents, long-term (\>10 days) oral corticosteroids (prednisolone \> 10mg or other), or estrogen replacement; and finally patients with newly diagnosed cancer (\<5 years) are also excluded.