Why the study?
What is the efficacy and safety of direct current conversion in patients with atrial flutter?
What is the efficacy and safety of direct current conversion in patients with atrial flutter?
Direct current cardioversion for atrial flutter is highly effective but associated with a significant risk of arrhythmias, likely related to underlying severe heart disease.
May warrant caution with DC cardioversion in atrial flutter; hypothesis-generating and requires validation in larger studies.
Atrial flutter was previously difficult to treat but is nowadays usually considered to be the arrhythmia most easily regularized by direct current treatment. In the study of a patient material consisting of 29 cases with atrial flutter this was verified as regards conversion frequency. On the other hand the occurrence of complications is remarkably high compared to those seen in the regularization of atrial fibrillation. Thus one case with asystole, six with nodal rhythm, which was further complicated in three cases, and one with supraventricular tachycardia of high frequency appeared in our series. It should be emphasized that these results must naturally be seen against the background of the often severe heart disease which provokes the flutter.
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Frithz et al. (1970) studied this question.
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