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 .
Maintenance of sinus rhythm after DC reversion of atrial fibrilllation. A double-blind controlled trial of long-acting quinidine bisulphate.
Ninety-two patients were entered in a double-blind controlled trial of long-acting quinidine bisulphate for the maintenance of sinus rhythm following DC reversion of atrial fibrillation . By r and om selection two statistically comparable groups of patients were obtained , a control group being given a placebo and a treated group quinidine bisulphate 1.5 g. per day in two 12-hourly doses . Thirty-seven patients were followed up in the control group and twenty-eight patients in the treated group . The maintenance of sinus rhythm in the treated group was significantly longer than in the control group , especially during the first three months . The mean serum quinidine level in the treated group was 2.2+/-0.3 ( SEM ) mg . per litre . There was one death among the patients treated with quinidine , which may have been due to quinidine toxicity caused by a high serum quinidine level
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 .