Botox, anti-ageing cosmetic drug used to prevent wrinkles, has been also used to treat many ailments; one among them is atrial fibrillation, which is the most common bypass surgery, according to researchers.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat which can lead to severe problems, including stroke or death. Dr. Jonathan Steinberg, director of the Arrhythmia Institute of Valley Health System in Ridgewood, said, “A few hundred thousand patients undergo heart surgery every year, and a-fib is very common, occurring in about 30 percent”.

In this study, 60 bypass patients were chosen randomly to give either Botox or saline injections. All the patients had at least two strokes of atrial fibrillation before the cardiac surgery and they were at a stake of more strokes and no one among them was taking medications for atrial fibrillation.

According to the report, the injections were given at major fat pads around the heart during the time surgery.

The investigators found, after the surgery in the first 30 days, 7% of those who received Botox developed atrial fibrillation in comparison with 30% who received saline.

Steinberg said that the small study was conducted in two hospitals in Russia and soon it must be done in bigger trials. On October 20, results were published in the journal Circulation named Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

Dr. Manish Shah, a cardiac electrophysiologist at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute in Washington said that the study found Botox to be effective.