Compositions and methods for preventing cardiac arrhythmia

1. A method of treating post-operative atrial fibrillation in a subject, comprising:

providing an extracellular matrix (ECM) composition comprising acellular ECM from a mammalian tissue source, said ECM composition further comprising a statin and a Class I anti-arrhythmic agent selected from the group consisting of (S)-(6-Methoxyquinolin-4-yl)((2R,4S,8R)-8-vinylquinuclidin-2-yl)methanol (Quinidine™), 4-amino-N-(2-diethylaminoethyl) benzamide (Procainamide™), (RS)-4-(diisopropylamino)-2-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)butanamide (Disopyramide™), 2-(diethylamino)-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)acetamide (Lidocaine™), 5,5-diphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (Phenytoin™) and 2-(2-aminopropoxy)-1,3-dimethylbenzene (Mexiletine™), (RS)-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)-2,5-bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)benzamide (Flecainide™), 1-{2-[2-Hydroxy-3-(propylamino)propoxy]phenyl}-3-phenylpropan-1-one (Propafenone™) and ethyl [10-(3-morpholin-4-ylpropanoyl)-10H-phenothiazin-2-yl]carbamate (Moricizine™), said statin and Class I anti-arrhythmic agent being linked to said ECM, wherein, when said ECM composition is administered to damaged myocardium tissue of said subject, said statin interacts with said ECM and modulates inflammation of said myocardium tissue and induces myofibroblast proliferation and angiogenesis, and said Class I anti-arrhythmic agent modulates a sodium (Na+) channel of said subject, whereby said ECM composition modulates electrical activity in the heart of said subject; and

delivering a therapeutically effective amount of said ECM composition directly to post-operative damaged myocardium tissue of said subject, wherein said ECM composition modulates inflammation of said post-operative damaged myocardium tissue and induces said myofibroblast proliferation and angiogenesis and, thereby, bioremodeling and regeneration of new myocardium tissue and modulates said sodium (Na+) channel of said subject, whereby said ECM composition reduces incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation of said subject.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said acellular ECM is selected from the group consisting of small intestinal submucosa, urinary bladder submucosa, stomach submucosa, and liver basement membrane.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said statin is selected from the group consisting of lovastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, cerivastatin and pitavastatin.