BACKGROUND Of the antiarrhythmic agents currently marketed in Canada, 5 are commonly used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of contraindications, warnings and precautions for the use of these drugs in patients with AF is not known. We evaluated the proportion of patients with AF for whom contraindications, warnings and/or precautions might limit the use of these commonly prescribed ...

The effects of bisaramil, a novel diazabicyclononane antiarrhythmic agent, were compared to those of lidocaine, a clinically used class Ib antiarrhythmic agent, on heart, skeletal muscle and brain Na+ channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes using a two-electrode voltage clamp. Both bisaramil and lidocaine produced a concentration-dependent tonic block of Na+ current that was most effective...

Agents that modulate cardiac and smooth muscle K+ channels have stimulated considerable interest in recent years because of their therapeutic potential in a number of cardiovascular diseases. Foremost among these drugs are the so-called Class III antiarrhythmic agents, which act by prolonging cardiac action potentials, and K+ channel openers, which hyperpolarize and thereby relax smooth muscle ...

A trial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. The preferred therapy for AF is sustained sinus rhythm control; however, the efficacy of currently used antiarrythmic drugs is limited by adverse side effects resulting from both a lack of ion channel selectivity and nonspecific ventricular activity. The role of the voltage-gated potassium channels in atrial myocyte repolarization...

Phentolamine was administered orally to 21 patients with persistent ventricular premature contractwons. In I5 patients the ventricular premature contractions were abolished, while in 5 a conspicuous decrease in their frequency was observed. The effective dose of phentolamine was either 50 or 75 mg. administered 4 times a day in all but 2 of the patients. The maximum antiarrhythmic effect was se...

Antiarrhythmic drugs, direct current (DC) cardioversion, and ablation remain standard treatment strategies to restore sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation. Data is limited predict if higher body mass index require more joules DC cardioversion. We studied 67 consecutive fibrillation successfully cardioverted synchronized Patients were stratified into two groups: Group 1 a BMI of ≤ 3...

In patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that has not responded to medication, catheter ablation is more effective than antiarrhythmic drug therapy for maintaining sinus rhythm. However, the safety and efficacy of cryoballoon as initial first-line have been established.

Association of AmiodaroneUseWith Acute Pancreatitis in PatientsWith Atrial Fibrillation: ANested Case-Control Study Amiodarone hydrochloride is an antiarrhythmic drug frequently used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Isolated reports1-3 have suggested that use of amiodarone may cause acute pancreatitis. To our knowledge, this potential adverseeffectof amiodaronehasnotbeenexplored in...

BACKGROUND The management of ventricular electrical storm can prove to be a challenge for the clinician given its complexity and life threatening consequences. CASE CHARACTERISTICS 8-year-old boy with repeated life-threatening polymorphic ventricular tachycardia following aortic valve replacement surgery. INTERVENTION Defibrillated 45 times in addition to multiple antiarrhythmic drugs. OU...

Intervention: rate control (n = 256) or rhythm control (n = 266). Rate control included use of digitalis, a non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, and a b blocker, alone or in combination. Target resting heart rate was ,100 beats/minute. Patients in the rhythm control group received serial electrical cardioversion and serial antiarrhythmic drugs using sotalol, 160– 320 mg/day, as the firs...