Designing Microneedle Patch for Prophylaxis of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication following cardiac surgery, which often occurs within 30 postoperative days, especially peaking at 2-3 days. Antiarrhythmic medications such as amiodarone are recommended in clinical practice for the prophylaxis and treatment of POAF. However, conventional oral administration is hindered due to delayed drug action and high risks of systemic toxicity, and emerging localized delivery strategies suffer from a limited release duration (less than 30 days). Herein, we develop a microneedle (MN) patch for localized delivery of amiodarone to the atria in a "First Rapid and Then Sustained" dual-release mode. Specifically, this patch is composed of a needle array integrated with an amiodarone-loaded reservoir for a sustained and steady release for over 30 days; and an amiodarone-containing coating film deposited on the needle surface via the Langmuir-Blodgett technique for a rapid release at the first day. Upon this design, only one MN patch enables a higher drug accumulation in the atrial tissue at the first day than oral administration and simultaneously remains therapeutical levels for over 30 days, despite at a significantly reduced drug dosage (5.08 mg in total versus ∼10 mg per day), thereby achieving ideal preventive effects and safety in a rat model. Our findings indicate that this MN device provides a robust and efficient delivery platform for long-term prophylaxis of POAF.