text_1: Botox may prevent irregular heartbeat after bypass surgery
text_2: This concise (393 word) news release from the American Heart Association on a trial that used botulinum toxin to prevent irregular heart rhythms after bypass surgery packs a lot of good information into a small frame. The novel use of botulinum toxin represented in the story is an interesting and potentially important step toward a possible solution. As noted, the research was conducted in a small sample of 60 patients and although the results are impressive, they should be viewed with an understanding that many other potential therapies have failed on subsequent examination. The news release is written in a clear and measured way, although a clarification on the type of botulinum toxin used and the potential costs would have been helpful for reporters and the public. Atrial fibrillation after coronary bypass surgery is a vexing problem. Most patients who develop atrial fibrillation post-procedure do so within a few days of the procedure so an intraoperative or preoperative solution seems reasonable.Atrial fibrillation can cause serious complications for the patient undergoing heart bypass, extend their stay in the hospital, and substantially drive up the costs of the heart treatment.