Hemodynamic effects of Vernakalant in cardio-surgical ICU-patients treated for recent-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is one of the most frequent complications after cardiothoracic surgery and a predictor for postoperative mortality and prolonged ICU-stay. Current guidelines suggest the multi-channel inhibitor Vernakalant as a treatment option for rhythm control. However, rare cases of severe hypotension and cardiogenic shock following drug administration have been reported. To elucidate the impact of Vernakalant on hemodynamics, we included ten ICU patients developing POAF after elective cardiac surgery, all of them awake and breathing spontaneously, in this prospective trial. Patients received the recommended dosage of Vernakalant and were clinically observed and monitored (heart rate, invasive blood pressure, pulse oximetry, central venous pressure) in 1-minute-intervals for 20 minutes before- and 120 minutes after the first dose of Vernakalant. The median time from the end of surgery until occurrence of POAF amounted up to 52.8 [45.9–77.4] hours, it took 3.5 [1.2–10.1] hours from occurrence of POAF until the first application of Vernakalant. All patients received catecholamine support with epinephrine that was held steady and not dynamic throughout the observational phase. We noted stable hemodynamic conditions, with a trend towards a reduction in heart rate throughout the 120 minutes after drug administration. In 7 patients (70%), conversion to sustained sinus rhythm (SR) occurred within 8.0 minutes [6.0–9.0]. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were noted during the observation period. In this prospective trial in ICU-patients showing POAF after cardiac surgery, intravenous Vernakalant did not induce clinically relevant negative effects on patients’ hemodynamics but resulted in conversion to sustained SR after a median of 8.0 minutes in 7 out of ten patients.