Botex, the anti-aging cosmetic drug that is most commonly known for its ability to maintain youthful looks by preventing wrinkles, is also effective at preventing irregular heartbeat after bypass surgery. The press release detailing the University of Rochester study that was published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology found that Botox can block the nerve signals that tell muscles to contract and when injected into the fat surrounding the heart, it can prevent atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of irregular heartbeat.
"About a third of all patients undergoing bypass surgery will develop atrial fibrillation, putting them at higher risk for cardiovascular complications," said Jonathan Steinberg, who led the study.
The findings found that 30 days following surgery, those who received Botox injections during their heart surgery only had a 7 percent chance of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib) in comparison to the 30 percent chance in patients who did not receive Botox.
Anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of heart bypass patients experience irregular heartbeats post-surgery, especially when in the intensive care unit (ICU), making it a significant roadblock for the recovery of many patients.
As the most common type of irregular heartbeat, AFib can refer to the heart beating either too fast or too slow and can lead to numerous heart complications such as stroke, blood clots and heart failure. AFib affects approximately 16 million people around the world and this new finding could help decrease the dangers that it poses to these people.
