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 .
Prospective comparison of flecainide versus quinidine for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter. The Flecainide Multicenter Atrial Fibrillation Study Group.
In order to compare the efficacy and long-term tolerability of flecainide acetate versus quinidine , 239 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were prospect ively treated with flecainide ( n = 122 ) or quinidine ( n = 117 ) in an open-label , r and omized trial . All patients were followed for 1 year after initiation of therapy unless their antiarrhythmic drug was discontinued due to an inadequate therapeutic response or intolerable side effects . Although both drugs were equally effective in adequately controlling recurrences of atrial fibrillation ( difference , p = 0.282 ; not significant ) , fewer flecainide patients had to have their therapy discontinued due to adverse experiences ( p = 0.012 ) . Based on both endpoints ( efficacy and tolerability ) , an estimated 70.5 % of flecainide versus 55.4 % of quinidine patients would remain effectively treated at the end of 1 year on therapy ( p < or = 0.007 ) . The findings of this prospect i ve study suggest that in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ( 1 ) flecainide and quinidine are equally effective in the acceptable suppression of symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ; ( 2 ) flecainide is better tolerated than quinidine and is less likely to be discontinued due to adverse effects ; and ( 3 ) given the overall endpoint of efficacy and tolerability , more patients are likely to continue long-term therapy with flecainide than with 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 .