Abstract
Study Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of atropine in preventing vasovagal reactions (VVRs) during removal of femoral arterial sheaths after diagnostic left heart catheterization. Design. Prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Setting. University- affiliated, 450-bed teaching hospital. Patients. One hundred sixty-five patients undergoing left heart catheterization. Interventions. Eighty-eight patients were assigned to receive atropine 0.5 mg intravenously and 77 received placebo 5 minutes before sheath removal. Measurements and Main Results. The frequency of VVRs was significantly reduced in the atropine group compared with the placebo group, 2.3% and 10.4%, respectively (overall relative risk in the atropine group 0.22, 95% CI 0.12-0.41, p=0.03). Significant decreases in systolic (35.2 ± 5.8 mm Hg, p