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 .
Effectiveness of loading oral flecainide for converting recent-onset atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm in patients without organic heart disease or with only systemic hypertension.
Sixty-two patients with recent-onset ( less than or equal to 1 week ) atrial fibrillation ( New York Heart Association functional class 1 and 2 ) were r and omized in a single-blind study to 1 of the following treatment groups : ( 1 ) flecainide ( 300 mg ) as a single oral loading dose ; or ( 2 ) amiodarone ( 5 mg/kg ) as an intravenous bolus , followed by 1.8 g/day ; or ( 3 ) placebo for the first 8 hours . Twenty-four-hour Holter recording was performed , and conversion to sinus rhythm at 3 , 8 , 12 and 24 hours was considered as the criterion of efficacy . Conversion to sinus rhythm was achieved within 8 hours ( placebo-controlled period ) in 20 of 22 patients ( 91 % ) treated with flecainide , 7 of 19 ( 37 % ) treated with amiodarone ( p less than 0.001 vs flecainide ) , and 10 of 21 ( 48 % ) treated with placebo ( p less than 0.01 vs flecainide ) . Resumption of sinus rhythm within 24 hours occurred in 21 of 22 patients ( 95 % ) with flecainide and in 17 of 19 ( 89 % ) with amiodarone ( p = not significant ) . Mean conversion times were shorter for flecainide ( 190 + /- 147 minutes ) than for amiodarone ( 705 + /- 418 ; p less than 0.001 ) . No major side effects occurred . At Holter monitoring , a pause of 9.3 seconds was observed in 1 asymptomatic patient treated with flecainide . Phases of atrial flutter with a ventricular rate less than or equal to 150 beats/min were detected before sinus conversion in 1 patient receiving placebo and in 2 receiving flecainide . ( 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 .