INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The best therapeutic approach for persistent atrial fibrillation has yet to be defined. Our aim was to investigate the effects of cardioversion in unselected patients with persistent atrial fibrillation who were treated according to a strict protocol involving pretreatment, cardioversion, and follow-up. METHODS Consecutive patients with persistent atrial fibrillati...

Increased consumption of fish rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega3-PUFAs) is associated with decreased incidence of sudden cardiac death in post-myocardial infarction patients, but is also related to increased incidence of sudden death and arrhythmias in patients with acute myocardial ischemia. This review discusses the possible pro- and antiarrhythmic mechanisms of omega3-PUFAs ...

Potassium canrenoate, a steroidal compound and a specific antagonist of aldosterone, had (1) a potent protective effect against ouabain-induced ventricular tachycardia in intact closed-chest dogs and (2) a potent antiarrhythmic effect in abolishing ventricular bigeminy and ventricular tachycardia due to ouabain intoxication in dogs. Conversion of ouabain-induced arrhythmias was usually associat...

Abnormal activation of mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) contributes to arrhythmogenesis during cardiac metabolic compromise; however, its role in the antiarrhythmic activities of chronic hypoxia adaptation remains unclear. Our results demonstrated that 80% of normoxic rats developed ischaemic VF, whereas this condition was seldom observed in rats with 14 days of chronic intermittent hy...

The n-3 or omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are a promising dietary preventive therapy for cardiovascular disease. The main dietary source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids comes from sea fish. During recent years, the subject of antiarrhythmic role of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids has been investigated extensively. A great deal of evidence has shown that the antiarrhythmic effect of n-3 ...

Sustained ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation are life-threatening arrhythmias with high rates of recurrence.1'2 Empiric antiarrhythmic drug therapy has a low success rate for preventing recurrences of these arrhythmias.3 Therefore, the choice of drug therapy has centered around two methodologies to predict drug efficacy: programmed ventricular stimulation with serial drug test...

Nine patients with different supraventricular tachyarrhythmias were treated orally with amiodarone (a Class 3 antiarrhythmic drug) according to a standardized protocol. Eight patients had subjective or objective beneficial antiarrhythmic effects from the drug. The treatment was discontinued in 2 patients due to corneal opacifications. In all patients right atrial monophasic action potentials we...

Maternal tachyarrhythmia is a common complication during pregnancy due to hormonal changes that enhance pre-existing arrhythmias or induce new arrhythmias in the presence of congenital heart defects in pregnant females. Presence of tachyarrhythmia during pregnancy poses risk to the mother and fetus, calling for proper treatment with medications. Use of antiarrhythmic drugs in cases of maternal ...

Background The occurrence of peri-operative AF after abdominal surgery is a clinical condition burdened by several complications, especially in the elderly [1-3]. When AF is successfully converted to sinus rhythm, it is unlikely to recur, and nearly all of these patients are discharged from the hospital in sinus rhythm. It is not clear how soon these patients may discontinue antiarrhythmic ther...

Potassium canrenoate, a steroidal compound and a specific antagonist of aldosterone, had (1) a potent protective effect against ouabain-induced ventricular tachycardia in intact closed-chest dogs and (2) a potent antiarrhythmic effect in abolishing ventricular bigeminy and ventricular tachycardia due to ouabain intoxication in dogs. Conversion of ouabain-induced arrhythmias was usually associat...