Flecainide can unmask sinus node dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with paroxysmal AF, emphasizing the need for careful screening.
A 76-year-old female visited the emergency department with complaining of dizziness and syncope. She had a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and had been prescribed flecainide 50 mg and apixaban 5 mg 12-hourly in another hospital 1 day before the presentation. Upon admission, her electrocardiogram showed profound bradycardia and extremely long sinus arrest, which required temporary cardiac pacing. Within 24 hours, her intrinsic rhythm was restored, and the temporary pacemaker was removed. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography revealed no structural heart disease or thrombus in the left atrial appendage. Cardiac computed tomography showed no coronary artery stenosis, but a pulmonary thrombus in the right pulmonary artery. She underwent an electrophysiology study, and four pulmonary vein (PV) isolations were attempted to treat the paroxysmal AF. A bidirectional PV conduction block was acquired in all PVs despite spontaneous dissociation of PV potential in the right PV. Programmed stimulation following ablation resulted in sinus node dysfunction. After the procedure, the patient did not complain of dizziness and syncope for 72 hours of telemetry monitoring. She was discharged with anticoagulant and did not show any further symptoms for 6 months. Flecainide acetate is a class Ic antiarrhythmics, and its clinical efficacy has been confirmed in several clinical trials. However, it can unmask sinus node dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with paroxysmal AF. Clinicians should screen candidates for sinus nodal diseases when prescribing flecainide.
Jeong et al. (Sat,) studied this question.