Non-hypoxic preconditioning of myocardium against postoperative atrial fibrillation: Mechanism based on enhancement of the antioxidant defense system

In turn, experimental studies have revealed that non-enzymatic antioxidants produce a significant functional amelioration in cardiomyocytes subjected to an oxidative challenge. Moreover, clinical studies with patients scheduled for primary coronary artery bypass graft surgery had a reduced incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation. We present the hypothesis of non-hypoxic preconditioning based on the association of pretreatment with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids followed by ascorbate plus α-tocoferol supplementation diminishes the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients subjected to cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation.