Francois Roubille: Can Low-Dose Colchicine Prevent Atrial Fibrillation After CABG?
Francois Roubille, Head of the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital of Montpellier, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, published in Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases, adding:
“New publication in Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases
We are delighted to share our recent publication on the COLPOAF study: “Low-dose colchicine for prevention of post-operative atrial fibrillation after bypass surgery”.
Huge congratulations to Valentin Roger, cardiology resident.
Publishing his research at this level during residency is a great achievement.
Background
Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is common after cardiac surgery and linked to worse outcomes. Standard-dose colchicine may reduce it but is often poorly tolerated. Could low-dose colchicine (0.5 mg/day), already recommended in coronary artery disease, help after CABG?
The study
A single-center, observational “before-after” study at Montpellier University Hospital:
- 206 CABG patients treated with low-dose colchicine
- 244 historical controls without colchicine
Key messages
- No significant reduction in POAF with low-dose colchicine: 11.2% vs 11.9% (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.53–1.59).
- Acceptable safety profile: more gastrointestinal side effects (7.8% vs 2.5%), but no serious adverse events.
- Significantly lower CRP levels: the anti-inflammatory effect is real.
- POAF is driven mainly by the atrial substrate and the surgery: age, left atrial volume, history of supraventricular tachycardia and cardiopulmonary bypass time.
These findings generate hypotheses and support future randomized trials.
They will help refine the dose, timing and target population.
Many thanks to the whole team, including our cardiac surgery colleagues and the clinical research unit at Montpellier University Hospital: David Martinez, Thomas Gandet, Roland Demaria, Philippe Rouvière, Sofiène Souidène, Alessandru Nigolean, Marie-Clothilde Brunet, Florence Leclercq and Lionel Moulis.”
Title: Low-dose colchicine for the prevention of post-operative atrial fibrillation after bypass surgery: Results from the COLPOAF study
Authors: Valentin Roger, David Martinez, Thomas Gandet, Roland Demaria, Philippe Rouviere, Sofiene Souidene, Alexandru Nigolean, Marie Clothilde Brunet, Florence Leclercq, Lionel Moulis, François Roubille
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