Clinical Research Directory

Pragmatic Amiodarone Trial to Reduce Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Postoperative atrial fibrillation is quite common after cardiac surgery with up to 1 in 3 patients experiencing this abnormal heart rhythm. Amiodarone, a medication commonly used to treat atrial fibrillation, has been previously shown to be an effective prophylactic agent at decreasing the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery. However, despite many studies which have demonstrated its effectiveness, it has not been widely used due to the concern of side effects that can occur such as slow heart rate, low blood pressure, and lung toxicity. We have designed a study to test the effectiveness and safety of a short course of postoperative prophylactic amiodarone for patients undergoing non-coronary artery bypass cardiac surgery. We hypothesize that patients who receive the prophylactic amiodarone will have decreased rates of postoperative atrial fibrillation without significantly increased side effects compared to patients who receive the standard postoperative care after non-coronary artery bypass cardiac surgery.

Contract-Relax (CR) Technique in the Management of Diaphragmatic Paresis After Cardiac Surgery

Postoperative respiratory complications are common complications of patients after cardiac surgery and increase morbidity and mortality and hospital length of stay. Diaphragmatic dysfunction accounts for between 2 and 15% of these complications. Diaphragmatic paresis is one of these dysfunctions and could be due to an intra-operative phrenic nerve injury or harvesting of a mammary artery responsible for diaphragmatic devascularization. It alters the ventilatory mechanics and causes acute respiratory distress often requiring the use of mechanical ventilation. The diagnosis of this dysfunction can be made by thoracic ultrasound with assessment of diaphragmatic excursion. For patient with paresis, ultrasound criteria is an excursion \< 25 mm after deep inspiration for at least one of the two hemidiaphragms. This dysfunction is most often transient in the postoperative period, but it can also become persistent. Contract-Relax (CR) physical therapy technique can be applied to any muscle, providing muscle strengthening, neuromotor stimulation, and a gain in joint amplitude. Currently, post-cardiac surgery management of respiratory physiotherapy is the same for a patient with or without paresis. Moreover, the CR technique of the diaphragm is not part of this "standard" rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to determine if the CR technique associated with the current respiratory management allows an early rehabilitation of patients with diaphragmatic paresis after cardiac surgery.

SEx-specific Differences in Cardiac Surgery Patients (SECS).

The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences between females and males undergoing cardiac surgery. The investigators will look at perioperative factors such as adaption of body weight, previous medical history, pharmacokinetics, transfusion, coagulation, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) related factors, cardiac function, inotropic requirements, risk, and outcome scores as well as morbidity and mortality at sort-term (within 30 days) and long-term (90 days and 1 year).

The Effect of ACT and Tranexamic Acid on Bleeding in Cardiac Surgery

The goal of this clinical trial is to the dose effect of tranexamic acid and the level of ACT on bleeding in adult cardiac surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does higher dose of tranexamic acid reduce the amount of bleeding and blood transfusion? 2. Does lower ACT level during cardiac surgery reduce the amount of bleeding and blood transfusion? Participants will divided into four groups which have different tranexamic acid dose and ACT level during cardiac surgery to see if there is any different in the amount of bleeding and blood transfusion.