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 of Dofetilide in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation-Flutter in Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Function: A Danish Investigations of Arrhythmia and Mortality ON Dofetilide (DIAMOND) Substudy
Background —In patients with left ventricular dysfunction , atrial fibrillation and flutter ( AF and AFl , respectively ) are common arrhythmias associated with increased morbidity and mortality . The present study investigated the potential of dofetilide in AF-AFl patients with left ventricular dysfunction to restore and maintain sinus rhythm , which might reduce mortality and hospitalizations . Methods and Results —In the Danish Investigations of Arrhythmia and Mortality ON  Dofetilide  ( DIAMOND ) studies , 506 patients were in AF-AFl at baseline . Over the course of study , cardioversion occurred in 148 ( 59 % ) dofetilide- and 86 ( 34 % ) placebo-treated patients . In these patients , the probability of maintaining sinus rhythm for 1 year was 79 % with dofetilide versus 42 % with placebo ( P < 0.001 ) . Dofetilide had no effect on all-cause mortality , but restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm was associated with significant reduction in mortality ( risk ratio [ RR ] , 0.44 ; 95 % CI , 0.30 to 0.64;P < 0.0001 ) . In addition , dofetilide therapy was associated with a significantly lower risk ratio versus placebo for either all-cause ( RR , 0.70 ; 95 % CI , 0.56 to 0.89;P ≤0.005 ) or congestive heart failure ( RR , 0.69 ; 95 % CI , 0.51 to 0.93;P ≤0.02 ) rehospitalization . Conclusions —Dofetilide is safe and increases the probability of obtaining and maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with structural heart disease . The present study suggests that restoration of sinus rhythm is associated with improved survival
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 .