Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; drug therapy ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy and safety of oral cordarone dir reversing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS; Eighty-two symptomatic chronic AF out-patients without history of acute diseases or severe hepatic/thyroid dysfunction were given oral cordarone at the loading dose of 200 mg thrice a day for 1-4 weeks followed by a twice-daily administration for another 1-4 weeks, with the maintenance dose of 200 or 100 mg once a day. The incidence of stroke and cardiac events and the mortality rate were compared between 43 patients with restored rhythm on cordarone and 39 patients on digoxin and/or betaloc for ventricular rhythm control.

RESULTSAmong the 82 patients, sinus rhythm restoration was achieved in 43, with a successful rate of 52%. In 18 patients, the ejection fraction increased from (32+/-8)% to (46+/-10)%, left atrium diameter decreased from (4.6+/-1.1) cm to (4.1+/-0.8) cm. Except for slight T4 increase, QT prolongation and bradycardia in 3 cases, severe side effects were not observed in this study. Only one patient with restored sinus rhythm required rehospitalization after half a year for worsened heart failure, but in patients with controlled ventricular rhythm, 1 developed stroke, 1 experienced heart attack and 1 died of heart failure with bleeding.

CONCLUSIONFor patients with symptomatic reversible persistent AF, active treatment with cordarone can be convenient, effective and safe for sinus rhythm restoration.

Adult ; Aged ; Amiodarone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

No abstract available.
Aged ; Amiodarone/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Hepatitis, Alcoholic/diagnosis/etiology ; Hepatitis, Chronic, Drug-Induced/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic efficacy and safety of amiodarone combined with Shenmai Injection (参麦注射液) on atrial fibrillation.

METHODSA total of 351 patients with atrial fibrillation caused by cardiovascular diseases and idiopathic atrial fibrillation were assigned to amiodarone group (control group, 128 cases) and amiodarone combined with Shenmai Injection group (treatment group, 223 cases). The patients in the control group received intravenous injection of 150 mg amiodarone in 10 min, followed by intravenous drip infusion at 1 mg /min and 6 h later at 0.5 mg /min until 48 h or cardioversion. The patients in the treatment group received the same treatment of amiodarone, while in addition, they received an injection of Shenmai Injection of 100 mL simultaneously. Blood pressure, ventricular rate, and cardioversion were observed.

RESULTSThe total efficiency rate was 98% (control group) and 99% (treatment group) (P>0.05). The mean ventricular rate decreased 23% and 31% in the control group and the treatment group, respectively (P<0.05). The mean cardioversion time of the two groups was 570±211 min and 351±123 min, respectively (P<0.05). Only mild side effects were observed in both groups.

CONCLUSIONCompared with amiodarone, amiodarone combined with Shenmai Injection takes effect more quickly with low side effects on the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amiodarone ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effectiveness and safety of various agents on paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the elderly over 75 years old.

METHODSTotally 264 in-patients (75-91 years old, 185 males and 79 females) with atrial fibrillation history of less than 7 days were enrolled in this study. A total of 611 atrial fibrillation episodes were recorded, but 130 episodes (22.3%) of atrial fibrillation were auto-converted to sinus rhythm. The rest 481 episodes of atrial fibrillation were divided into six groups based on the drug used.

RESULTSThe cardioversion ratio of atrial fibrillation were 9.5%, 46.9%, 71.7%, 55.9%, 32.7%, and 73.6% in control, cedilanid, amiodarone, propafenone, verapamil, and quinidine groups, respectively. Ventricular rate control were 5.4%, 83.6%, 84.9%, 77.9%, 78.8%, and 11.3% in those groups, respectively. The total effective rates of amiodarone and cedilanid groups were the highest. When the ventricular rate was controlled to below 90 bpm, the patients would almost complain of no discomfort. No severe side-effect was observed in each group.

CONCLUSIONAmiodarone and cedilanid may be the proper drugs for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the elderly. The above antiarrhythmics in each therapeutic group were relatively safe and effective.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amiodarone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Bradycardia ; chemically induced ; Cardiac Glycosides ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Humans ; Lanatosides ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Nausea ; chemically induced ; Propafenone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Antiarrhythmic agents may increase capture threshold, but this is rarely of clinical significance. Flecainide acetate, a class IC agent, is reported to have a significant effect on the myocardial capture threshold. In this presentation, we report the case of a 72-year-old male, with a previously implanted VVI pacemaker due to sick sinus syndrome, who was treated with flecainide acetate for paroxysmal atrial arrhythmia control. During the fifteenth day of treatment, an abrupt rise in the ventricular capture threshold with ventricular pacing failure was noted. The capture threshold decreased two days after discontinuation of flecainide acetate.
Ventricular Function/*drug effects ; *Pacemaker, Artificial ; Male ; Humans ; Flecainide/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Electrocardiography ; Atrial Flutter/drug therapy ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Aged ; Action Potentials/*drug effects

Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Cardiomyopathies ; drug therapy ; Drug Interactions ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome ; drug therapy

Adolescent ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Sotalol ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

An unusual grayish brown discoloration of the synovium was found during a knee arthroscopy of a 72-year-old man. He also had similar pigmentation affecting the skin on the legs, arms, hands, and face. It was found he had been taking 400 mg of amiodarone hydrochloride daily for last 7 years. Amiodarone is known to cause a slate grey pigmentation of skin and cornea, but we believe this is the first report of amiodarone-induced pigmentation of the synovium. The arthroscopist should be aware of the possibility of drug-related synovial pigmentation and include this in differential diagnosis.
Aged ; Amiodarone/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/complications/drug therapy ; Arthroscopy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Knee Joint/surgery ; Male ; Pigmentation Disorders/*chemically induced/*diagnosis ; Skin/pathology ; Synovial Membrane/*pathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of the combined use of amiodarone and Wenxin Granule (WXG) in auricular fibrillation (AF) conversion and its safety.

METHODSTwo hundred and twenty-four patients, in whom AF lasted for less than 1 year, were enrolled and randomly assigned into two groups, 112 in each group. Patients in the treated group were treated with WXG and amiodorane and the others in the control group were orally administered with amiodarone alone. The accumulative conversion rate of AF and adverse reaction were monitored during the 6-month observation period.

RESULTSSix-month observation was completed in 109 cases in the treated group and 107 in the control group, while 3 cases and 5 cases in the two groups were dropped out respectively. The difference of accumulative AF conversion rates between the two groups become significant early after one month medication (P < 0.05), and was 65.1% and 47.7% respectively after 6-month of treatment (P < 0.05). Inter-group significant difference was also shown in the aspects of average conversion time, dosage of amiodarone required and the occurrence of adverse reaction (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCombined use of WXG and amiodarone has a better effect in improving conversion rate of AF, shortening conversion time and decreasing the required dosage of amiodarone in treating AF as compared with the treatment with amiodarone alone, and by which the adverse reaction of long-term using amiodarone could be avoided.

Aged ; Amiodarone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Safety