No other antiarrhythmic showed a significant effect on mortality compared with controls .
Class IA , IC , and III drugs are effective in maintaining sinus rhythm but increase adverse effects , and class IA drugs may increase mortality
BACKGROUND A variety of antiarrhythmic drugs have been used to prevent recurrence of atrial fibrillation after conversion to sinus rhythm .
We performed a systematic review to determine the effect of long-term treatment with those drugs on death , embolisms , adverse effects , and atrial fibrillation recurrence .
[Therapy of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Cardiac glycosides alone or combined with anti-arrhythmia agents?].
In a prospect i ve study 45 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were r and omly assigned to one of three groups ( of 15 patients each ) : group I received oral digoxin , three times 0.125 mg up to twice 0.25 mg daily ; group II oral digoxin twice 0.125 mg and quinidine hydrogen sulphate 750 - 1000 mg daily ; group III oral digoxin three times 0.125 mg and flecainide 200 - 300 mg daily . During a mean observation period of 11 months digoxin alone was significantly less effective ( P less than 0.05 ) in reducing or suppressing paroxysms of atrial fibrillation than digoxin plus quinidine or flecainide .  Flecainide with digoxin was more effective than the drug regimen in groups I and II ( P less than 0.05 ) . Two patients each in groups I and III had side effects , eight in group II . The results suggest that , at the chosen dosage , flecainide produces fewer side effects than quinidine
No other antiarrhythmic showed a significant effect on mortality compared with controls .
Class IA , IC , and III drugs are effective in maintaining sinus rhythm but increase adverse effects , and class IA drugs may increase mortality
BACKGROUND A variety of antiarrhythmic drugs have been used to prevent recurrence of atrial fibrillation after conversion to sinus rhythm .
We performed a systematic review to determine the effect of long-term treatment with those drugs on death , embolisms , adverse effects , and atrial fibrillation recurrence .