Heart Rhythm
Volume 6, Issue 2 , Pages 152-155 , February 2009

Systematic electrocardioversion for atrial fibrillation and role of antiarrhythmic drugs: A substudy of the SAFE-T trial

  • Steven N. Singh, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Steven N. Singh, Department of Cardiology, VA Medical Center, 50 Irving Street NW, Washington, DC 20422
    • ,
  • X. Charlene Tang, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Hines, Illinois
    • ,
  • Domenic Reda, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Hines, Illinois
    • ,
  • Bramah N. Singh, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Los Angeles, California

Received 10 July 2008 ,Accepted 24 October 2008.

References 

  1. Lown B, Amarasinghem R, Neuman J. New method for terminating cardiac arrhythmias: use of synchronized capacitor discharge. JAMA. 1962;182:548–555
  2. Kerber RE. Transthoracic cardioversion of atrial fibrillation and flutter: standard techniques and new advances. Am J Cardiol. 1996;78(Suppl 8A):22–26
  3. Joglar JA, Hamdan MH, Ramaswamy K, et al. Initial energy for elective external cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation. Am J Cardiol. 2002;86:348–350
  4. Van Gelder IC, Harry J, Crijns GM, Wiek H, et al. Effects of flecainide on the atrial defibrillation threshold. Am J Cardiol. 1989;63:112–114
  5. Sung RJ. Facilitating electrical cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation by antiarrhythmic drugs: update on clinical trial results. Card Electrophysiol Rev. 2003;7:300–303
  6. Singh BN, Singh SN, Reda DJ, et al. Sotalol Amiodarone Atrial Fibrillation Efficacy Trial (SAFE-T) Investigators Amiodarone vs Sotalol for Atrial Fibrillation. N Engl J. 2005;352:1861–1872
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  10. Kawabata VS, Vianna CB, Moretti MA, et al. Monophasic versus biphasic waveform shocks for atrial fibrillation cardioversion in patients with concomitant amiodarone therapy. Europace. 2007;9:143–146
  11. Oral H, Souza JJ, Michard GF, et al. Facilitating transthoracic cardioversion of atrial fibrillation with ibutilide pretreatment. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:1849–1854
  12. Hohnloser SH, Dorian P, Roberts R, et al. Effect of amiodarone and sotalol on ventricular defibrillation threshold: the optimal pharmacological therapy in cardioverter defibrillator patients (OPTIC) trial. Circulation. 2006;114:104–109
  13. Duytschaever MF, Garratt CJ, Allessie MA. Profibrillatory effects of verapamil but not a digoxin in the goat model of atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2000;11:1375–1385
  14. Ramanna H, Elvan A, Wittkampf FH, et al. Increased dispersion and shortened refractoriness caused by verapamil in chronic atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37:1403–1407
  15. Pandozi C, Bianconi L, Calo L, et al. Postcardioversion atrial electrophysiologic changes induced by oral verapamil in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;36:2234–2241
  16. Daoud EG, Knight BP, Weiss R, et al. Effect of verapamil and procainamide on atrial fibrillation-induced electrical remodeling in humans. Circulation. 1997;5:1542–1550
  17. DeSimone A, Stabile G, Vitale DF, et al. Pretreatment with verapamil in patients with persistent or chronic atrial fibrillation who underwent electrical cardioversion. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999;34:810–814
  18. Hemels ME, Van Noord T, Crijns HJ, et al. Verapamil versus digoxin and acute versus routine serial cardioversion for the improvement of rhythm control for persistent atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;48:1001–1009
  19. Kirchhof P, Eckardt L, Loh P, et al. Anterior-posterior vs anterior-lateral electrode positions for external cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: a randomized trial. Lancet. 2002;360:1275–1279
  20. Siaplaouras S, Buob A, Rotter C, et al. Randomized comparison of anterolateral versus anteroposterior electrode position for biphasic external cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. Am Heart J. 2004;150:150–152

 Supported by the Cooperative Studies Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development.

PII: S1547-5271(08)01072-2

doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2008.10.036

Heart Rhythm
Volume 6, Issue 2 , Pages 152-155 , February 2009

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