Academic Editors: Giuseppe Nasso and Giuseppe Santarpino
Background: Post-cardiac procedure atrial fibrillation (PCP-AF) is a
significant medical problem. Inflammation is one of the key factors in the
pathogenesis of PCP-AF. As a classical anti-inflammatory drug, colchicine may
prevent the occurrence of PCP-AF. This meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled
trials (RCTs) analyzed the feasibility and safety of colchicine for the
prevention of PCP-AF. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the
Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were retrieved for RCTs on the efficacy of
colchicine in preventing atrial fibrillation. The primary endpoint was the
diagnosis of PCP-AF, which includes cardiac surgery or pulmonary vein isolation.
Evaluation was performed with estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence
intervals (CI). Results: In this meta-analysis, 12 RCTs were selected
and a total of 2297 patients were included. Colchicine therapy was associated
with a reduced incidence of PCP-AF both in post-cardiac surgery (OR: 0.62; 95%
CI: 0.49–0.78, p