**5. Conclusion**

In patients treated with ivabradine the quality of life was improved due to shorter hospital stay, less atrial or ventricular arrhythmias, less need for permanent pacing, less worsening heart failure, shortened immobilization during the immediate postoperative period with subsequent improvement in the psychological status, as well as due to lack of significant side effects.

Considering the ivabradine efficacy and safety profile, the heart rate reduction in the early postoperative period after coronary surgery in patients with conduction abnormalities or left ventricular dysfunction with ivabradine therapy emerged as the best treatment in this trial.

Ivabradine should be regarded as an attractive alternative pharmacological strategy for rhythm and heart rate control in the early postoperative period in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with relative or absolute contraindications to beta-blocker therapy.
