Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio

We conducted a prospective, double-blind, randomized, multicenter study among 241 patients who underwent their first on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, aortic valve replacement (AVR), or combined CABG and AVR surgery to determine whether the use of hydrocortisone prevents atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery. Results showed that the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation was significantly lower in the hydrocortisone group compared with the placebo group.