Efficacy of selenium on patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Introduction Postoperative complications pose significant challenges in cardiac surgery and with the evolution of selenium as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, some studies reported its inefficiency. Thus, we conducted our meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of selenium supplementation on cardiac surgery patients.Methods Different databases such as PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from inception till January 2024 were searched identifying a total of seven randomized-controlled trials involving selenium supplementation after cardiac surgery. Risk ratio (RR) and Mean difference (MD) were calculated with a 95% confidence interval (CI).Results The selenium intervention significantly raised the incidence of Acute Kidney injury (RR 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.98; P = 0.04) while significantly reducing the duration of hospital stay (MD -1.33; 95% CI: -2.51, -0.16; P = 0.03) and postoperative CRP levels (SMD -0.18; 95% CI: -0.34, -0.02; P = 0.03). The effect of selenium intervention on days spent in ICU (MD -0.01; 95% CI: -0.28, 0.25; P = 0.92), mortality (RR 1.07; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.37; P = 0.57) and incidence of hospital acquired infections (RR 0.98; 95% CI: 0.76, 1.26; P = 0.88) is insignificant.Conclusion Selenium supplementation did not significantly reduce major postoperative complications in cardiac surgery patients. However, its ability to modulate inflammation, as reflected in decreased C-reactive protein levels, highlights its potential role in managing the inflammatory response. Future investigations should focus on optimized selenium supplementation strategies in conjunction with other antioxidants to enhance its benefits.