Research published in the American Heart Journal (June 2003;145(6):1108–1113) found a significant association between low serum magnesium levels and adverse outcomes following cardiac surgery.
Low serum magnesium was defined as a level below 1.8 mmol/L at any point during the eight days prior to surgery. Among 957 patients studied, 12.3% of those with low magnesium experienced adverse cardiac events, compared with 9.2% of patients with normal magnesium levels.
Patients with low magnesium also had approximately double the incidence of Q-wave myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality, with the increased risk persisting for up to one year after surgery.
