The Effect of Intravenous Injection of Amiodarone on Central Venous Pressure in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of intravenous amiodarone on the central venous pressure in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In a clinical trial study, 76 patients underwent coronary bypass surgery were randomly divided in two groups of 38; in the first group, after exiting from cardiopulmonary bypass, 150 mg amiodarone was dissolved in 100 cc dextrose 5% serum and infused in 10 minutes. In the second group, with the same volume, dextrose 5% serum was injected to the patient over the same period. Patients in the two groups underwent anesthesia induction. Systolic, diastolic, mean arterial, and central venous pressures were measured in both groups at the time of induction, 15 minutes after separation from pump, and at the time of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU); the results of the two groups were compared. Findings: Systolic, diastolic, mean arterial and central venous pressures did not show any significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). During the study, 8 patients had electrocardiographic changes, of which 7 were from the control group and 1 from the amiodarone group (18.9% vs. 2.2%), and the difference between the two groups was significant (P = 0.02). It seems that administering amiodarone in the operative phase does not have a significant effect on central venous pressure and hemodynamic parameters; but administration of this drug significantly reduces the incidence of arrhythmia in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft.