Effect of magnesium on the monophasic action potential during early ischemia in the in vivo human heart.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Magnesium Sulfate.

This study sought to examine the effects of magnesium on epicardial action potential duration in patients during early myocardial ischemia.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery were randomized (double blind) to receive intravenous magnesium (n = 10) or placebo (n = 10).

Patients were placed on cardiopulmonary bypass and paced at 600 ms, and stable monophasic action potentials were obtained.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

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

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

Some participants received a placebo instead of Magnesium Sulfate, giving a reference point.

Ischemia was achieved by aortic cross-clamping for 2 min while normothermia was maintained.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Action Potentials, Magnesium Sulfate, Myocardial Ischemia and Pericardium.

What This Means in Plain Language

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

Results are reported in around 6 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 1996 (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.