14 Jan Statins May Reduce Risk of Complications and Death After Cardiac Surgery

Dr. Islam Elgendy

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Islam Elgendy, MD
Clinical Pharmacology, Cardiology
University of Florida

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Elgendy: This study aimed to review the current evidence for the effect of statin therapy before and after bypass surgery on different outcomes. The evidence suggests that statins can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following the surgery. Statin use also seemed to be associated with a reduced risk of death during and immediately after bypass surgery.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Elgendy: The available evidence suggests that benefit of statin use outweighs the risk of rare potential side effects. Patients need to be counseled about such benefits.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Elgendy: More research is needed on the optimal dose and duration of statin use, as well as its benefits in reducing the risk of stroke, heart attack, or renal failure after surgery.

Medical Research: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Dr. Elgendy: Previous research has shown that discontinuation of the statins at the time of surgery is common practice. Therefore, educating patients and surgeons on the importance of statin therapy is of outmost importance.

Citation:

Amr F. Barakat, Marwan Saad, Ahmed Abuzaid, Amgad Mentias, Ahmed Mahmoud, Islam Y. Elgendy. Perioperative Statin Therapy for Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 2016;
DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2015.09.070

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Islam Elgendy, MD (2016). Statins May Reduce Risk of Complications and Death After Cardiac Surgery 

Last Updated on January 14, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD