scholarly journals Intravenous vernakalant in comparison with intravenous flecainide in the cardioversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Pohjantähti-Maaroos ◽  
Harri Hyppölä ◽  
Maria Lekkala ◽  
Emma Sinisalo ◽  
Antti Heikkola ◽  
...  

Background: Pharmacological cardioversion of atrial fibrillation is a reasonable alternative for electrical cardioversion in acute atrial fibrillation. We compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous vernakalant and intravenous flecainide in patients with recent-onset (< 48 h) atrial fibrillation. Methods: A total of 200 consecutive patients, 100 patients undergoing cardioversion with intravenous vernakalant and 100 patients undergoing cardioversion with intravenous flecainide, were included in this single centre non-randomized retrospective study. The primary endpoint was conversion to sinus rhythm within 120 minutes from the drug administration. Results: Cardioversion was successful in 67% of patients treated with vernakalant and in 46% of patients treated with flecainide ( p=0.003). Vernakalant (odds ratio 1.99, 95% confidence interval 1.08–3.69, p=0.029) and female gender (odds ratio 2.48, 95% confidence interval 1.22–15.05, p=0.012) were significant predictors of successful cardioversion. The success rate of cardioversion was lowest among men treated with flecainide (36.9%). Patients treated with vernakalant were discharged earlier from the emergency department compared with those treated with flecainide (8.2 ± 4.7 h vs. 12.0 ± 6.0 h, p < 0.001). There was no difference in the complication rate between the groups. Vernakalant treated patients were older (59.3 ± 12.5 vs. 55.4 ± 13.0 years, p=0.03), had higher CHA2DS2-VASc score (1.4 ± 1.3 vs. 0.9 ± 1.2, p = 0.002) and were more often on beta-blocker medication (59% vs. 42%, p= 0.016) than flecainide treated patients. Conclusion: Vernakalant was safe, more effective and faster than flecainide in the cardioversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation. The difference in efficacy was especially apparent among men.

Author(s):  
Samuel Lévy ◽  
Juha Hartikainen ◽  
Beate Ritz ◽  
Tord Juhlin ◽  
José Carbajosa-Dalmau ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Rapid restoration of sinus rhythm using pharmacological cardioversion is commonly indicated in patients with symptomatic recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). The objectives of this large, international, multicenter observational study were to determine the safety and effectiveness of intravenous (IV) vernakalant for conversion of AF to sinus rhythm in daily practice. Methods and Results Consenting patients with symptomatic recent-onset AF (< 7 days) treated with IV vernakalant were enrolled and followed up to 24 h after the last infusion or until discharge, in order to determine the incidence of predefined serious adverse events (SAEs) and other observed SAEs and evaluate the conversion rate within the first 90 min. Overall, 2009 treatment episodes in 1778 patients were analyzed. The age of patients was 62.3 ± 13.0 years (mean ± standard deviation). Median AF duration before treatment was 11.1 h (IQR 5.4–27.0 h). A total of 28 SAEs occurred in 26 patients including 19 predefined SAEs, i.e., sinus arrest (n = 4, 0.2%), significant bradycardia (n = 11, 0.5%), significant hypotension (n = 2, 0.1%), and atrial flutter with 1:1 conduction (n = 2, 0.1%). There were no cases of sustained ventricular arrhythmias or deaths. All patients who experienced SAEs recovered fully (n = 25) or with sequelae (n = 1). Conversion rate to sinus rhythm was 70.2%, within a median of 12 min (IQR 8.0–28.0 min). Conclusions This large multicenter, international observational study confirms the good safety profile and the high effectiveness of vernakalant for the rapid cardioversion of recent-onset AF in daily hospital practice.


Author(s):  
Samuel Levy

ABSTRACT (195 words) Pharmacological cardioversion using intravenous antiarrhythmic agents is commonly indicated in symptomatic patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Except in hemodynamically unstable patients who require emergency direct current electrical cardioversion, for the majority of hemodynamically stable patients, pharmacological cardioversion represents a valid option and requires the clinician to be familiar with the properties and use of antiarrhythmic agents. The main characteristics of selected intravenous antiarrhythmic agents for conversion of recent-onset AF, the reported success rates and possible adverse events are discussed. Among intravenous antiarrhythmics, flecainide, propafenone, amiodarone, sotalol, dofetilide, ibutilide and vernakalant are commonly used. Antazoline, an old antihistaminic agent with antiarrhythmic properties was also reported to give encouraging results. Intravenous flecainide and propafenone are the only class I agents still recommended by recent guidelines. Intravenous new class III agents as dofetilide and ibutilide have high and rapid efficacy in converting AF to sinus rhythm but require strict surveillance with ECG monitoring during and after intravenous administration because the potential risk of QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes which can be prevented and properly managed. Vernakalant, a partial atrial selective was shown to have a high success rate and to be safe in real life use.


Author(s):  
Michał M. Farkowski ◽  
Aleksander Maciąg ◽  
Małgorzata Żurawska ◽  
Karol Kołakowski ◽  
Piotr Gardziejczyk ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-76
Author(s):  
Maddela Soumya ◽  
Sk. Khasim ◽  
Ravinder Reddy Kasturi ◽  
Srinivas Kumar Arramraju ◽  
Nikhil Mudgalkar ◽  
...  

Introduction: Ibutilide is a class 3 antiarrythmic agent that is used infrequently. There are few studies on its usage, especially among Indians. Materials & Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients in a tertiary care unit who had recently developed atrial fibrillation and were given the normal dose of ibutilide. During the study period, data was gathered from medical records. Results: During the study period, ibutilide was given to a total of 40 patients who met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the participants were under 60 years old and had only been in atrial fibrillation for less than 24 hours. In 70% of cases, atrial fibrillation could be successfully terminated with only a small risk of adverse events. Conclusion: Ibutilide is a safe and effective treatment for people who have recent onset atrial fibrillation.


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