Effects of intravenous magnesium sulfate on the QT interval in patients receiving ibutilide.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Magnesium Sulfate, published as a randomized controlled trial.

To determine the effect of intravenous magnesium sulfate on the QT and QTc intervals in patients receiving ibutilide for immediate chemical cardioversion of atrial flutter or fibrillation.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 12 patients were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were older adults, both men and women.

Twenty patients (mean age 72 +/- 14 yrs) with atrial fibrillation (12 patients) or atrial flutter (8 patients) who were scheduled to receive ibutilide.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Magnesium Sulfate group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the patients nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Magnesium Sulfate, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Magnesium Sulfate could be set against what happens without it.

Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Anti-Arrhythmia Agents, Atrial Fibrillation, Electrocardiography, Magnesium Sulfate and Sulfonamides.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Magnesium Sulfate in 12 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 6 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2003 (Pharmacotherapy), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.