BACKGROUND Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) face significant risks of stroke and heart failure. The objective of this study was to determine whether AF ablation reduces the long-term risk of stroke or heart failure compared with antiarrhythmic drug therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS A coding algorithm was used to identify AF patients treated with catheter ablation (n=3194) or antiarrhythmic d...

UNLABELLED Antiarrhythmic agents enhance maintenance of sinus rhythm (SR) after direct current cardioversion (DCC) for atrial fibrillation but there are few comparative trials. BACKGROUND The aims of the study were (1) to establish whether patients successfully cardioverted to SR are more likely to stay in SR over 6 months if taking amiodarone or sotalol, and if so, to establish whether one a...

The antiarrhythmic efficacy of the novel ultrarapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKur) blocker (2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexyl) diphenylphosphine oxide (DPO-1) was compared with efficacies of the standard class III rapidly activating component of delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr) blockers [+-N-[1'-(6-cyano-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-napthalenyl)-3,4-dihydro-4-hydroxyspiro[2H-1-benzopy...

BACKGROUND Although guidelines for antiarrhythmic drug therapy in atrial fibrillation (AF) were published in 2006, it remains uncertain whether adherence to these guidelines affects patient outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS We retrospectively evaluated the records of 5976 consecutive AF patients who were prescribed at least 1 antiarrhythmic drug between 2006 and 2013. Patients with 1 or more pres...

OBJECTIVE To determine the long-term outcome of serial electrical cardioversion therapy in patients with chronic atrial flutter. DESIGN Prospective study, case series. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS 50 consecutive patients with chronic (> 24 hours) atrial flutter without a previous relapse on antiarrhythmic drugs. INTERVENTIONS Elective electrical cardioversion therapy, if necess...

Human aging is a global issue with important implications for current and future incidence and prevalence of health conditions and disability. Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, sudden cardiac death, and bradycardia requiring pacemaker placement, all increase exponentially after the age of 60. It is important to distinguish between the normal, physiological consequences of agin...

Cardiovascular disorders are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Berberis vulgaris (B. vulgaris) is a commonly used plant in traditional medicine. In recent studies, B. vulgaris showed antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive, anticholinergic, and cardioprotective effects. We reviewed the literature to explore the possible prophylactic and therapeutic roles of B. vulgaris in cardiovascular medici...

BACKGROUND Prolongation of action potential duration (APD) is considered a major antiarrhythmic mechanism (class 2I), but paradoxically, it frequently is also proarrhythmic (torsade de pointes). METHODS AND RESULTS The cardiac electrophysiological effects of 702 chemicals (class 2I or HERG channel block) were studied in 1071 rabbit Langendorff-perfused hearts. Temporal instability of APD, tri...

-1. The effects of three class I antiarrhythmic drugs procainamide (class IA), tocainide (class IB) and lorcainide (class 1C) on microsomal Na+-K+-ATPase activity were compared with those of ouabain in guinea pig heart preparations. 2. All three antiarrhythmic drugs exhibited concentration-dependent inhibitory actions on the enzyme activity in a fashion similar to that of ouabain. 3. The rank o...