Recent reports from a new meta-analysis about patients who have statins administered to them before having cardiac surgery show they had a significant reduction in their chances of suffering from postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). This treatment also wound up with patients having much shorter hospital stays in the intensive care unit. When the statins were given preoperative statin therapy there was no change in how short patients’ general hospital stays were, nor did it affect their stroke rates.

This news was published online April 18, 2012 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Right now, the investigative team is being cautious about how they choose to interpret the results of this analysis since the patients in the research were mostly treated with atorvastin and had CABG surgery. This made extrapolations to other statins and different types of cardiac surgery hard.

“Nonetheless, it appears reasonable and in compliance with existing guidelines to advocate an intensified preoperative statin treatment, followed by a rigorous postoperative reinitiation regimen, in all hyperlipidemic patients with multiple cardiac risks and coronary heart disease scheduled for cardiac surgery,” wrote Dr. Oliver Liakopoulos of the University of Cologne in Germany.

AF is treated with various medications including Multaq. Multaq is made by Sanofi-Aventis and has been linked to serious side effects like liver failure and a worsening of the heart condition. Those risks are the reason why previous trials of the drug have been halted. These risks are also why the FDA is recommending that Multaq not be used unless all other medications have failed.

If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure or a worsening heart condition after being treated with Multaq, contact the attorney’s at Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.