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 .
Efficacy and safety of sustained-release propafenone (propafenone SR) for patients with atrial fibrillation.
The objective of this r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled clinical trial was to test the efficacy and safety of a new sustained-release preparation of the antiarrhythmic drug propafenone ( propafenone SR ) in reducing the frequency of symptomatic arrhythmia recurrences in patients with atrial fibrillation ( AF ) . Patients with a history of symptomatic AF who were in sinus rhythm were r and omly assigned to receive placebo or propafenone SR 425 , 325 , or 225 mg , all twice daily . Recurrent symptomatic arrhythmias were documented using  transtelephone electrocardiographic monitoring . Electrocardiograms were review ed by an event committee that was blinded to treatment assignment . In the primary efficacy analysis , propafenone SR significantly lengthened the time to first symptomatic atrial arrhythmia recurrence at all 3 doses compared with placebo as assessed by log-rank test : propafenone SR 425 mg twice daily versus placebo twice daily , p < 0.001 ; 325 mg twice daily versus placebo twice daily , p < 0.001 ; and 225 mg twice daily versus placebo twice daily , p = 0.014 . The median time to recurrence was 41 days in the placebo twice daily group , > 300 days in the propafenone SR 425-mg group , 291 days in the 325-mg group , and 112 days in the 225-mg group . Adverse effects leading to withdrawal were higher in the propafenone SR 425-mg twice daily group than in any other group . Thus , propafenone SR has important and statistically significant antiarrhythmic effects in patients with AF
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 .