We found that the size of the left atrium , presence of cardiovascular disease , and protocol s of amiodarone administration did not influence the magnitude of effect .
Serious adverse events were infrequent .
Amiodarone is effective for converting AF to sinus rhythm in a wide range of patients .
BACKGROUND Although clinicians sometimes choose amiodarone to convert atrial fibrillation ( AF ) to sinus rhythm , no current and comprehensive systematic review has summarized its effectiveness .
OBJECTIVE To review the effectiveness of amiodarone in converting AF to sinus rhythm over a 4-week period .
Intravenous flecainide versus amiodarone for recent-onset atrial fibrillation.
In a r and omized , double-blind , controlled study of 98 patients with atrial fibrillation ( AF ) ( present for > or = 30 minutes , < or = 72 hours , and a ventricular response of > or = 100 beats/min ) , intravenous flecainide ( 2 mg/kg , maximum 150 mg ) was compared with intravenous amiodarone ( 7 mg/kg ) and placebo .  Exclusion criteria included significant left ventricular dysfunction , inotrope dependence , recent antiarrhythmic therapy , hypokalemia , and pacemaker dependence . Reversion to stable sinus rhythm within 2 hours of starting medication was considered likely to be due to drug effect . Twenty of 34 patients ( 59 % ) given flecainide , 11 of 32 ( 34 % ) given amiodarone , and 7 of 32 ( 22 % ) given placebo reverted to stable sinus rhythm in < or = 2 hours after starting medication ( chi-square 9.87 , p = 0.007 ) . More patients reverted to stable rhythm with flecainide than with placebo ( p = 0.005 ; odds ratio 5.1 , 95 % confidence interval 1.54 to 17.5 ) . There was no significant difference between amiodarone and placebo or between flecainide and amiodarone . However , after 8 hours there were no significant differences in reversion between the treatment groups : flecainide ( n = 23 , 68 % ) , amiodarone ( n = 19 , 59 % ) , and placebo ( n = 18 , 56 % ) . Amiodarone promptly reduced the ventricular rate , and this effect was maintained for 8 hours in those whose reversion to stable sinus rhythm was unsuccessful : flecainide was no more effective than placebo in controlling ventricular rate . Adverse effects were not significantly different in the 3 groups . Thus , intravenous flecainide results in earlier reversion of AF than does intravenous amiodarone or placebo . Amiodarone , although less effective in reverting AF , slows the rapid ventricular response . ( ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
We found that the size of the left atrium , presence of cardiovascular disease , and protocol s of amiodarone administration did not influence the magnitude of effect .
Serious adverse events were infrequent .
Amiodarone is effective for converting AF to sinus rhythm in a wide range of patients .
BACKGROUND Although clinicians sometimes choose amiodarone to convert atrial fibrillation ( AF ) to sinus rhythm , no current and comprehensive systematic review has summarized its effectiveness .
OBJECTIVE To review the effectiveness of amiodarone in converting AF to sinus rhythm over a 4-week period .