Intravenous Amiodarone for Arrhythmia Management

Letters15 March 1998Intravenous Amiodarone for Arrhythmia ManagementAmir Halkin, MD and Oren Shibolet, MDAmir Halkin, MDHadassah University Hospital; Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91240, IsraelSearch for more papers by this author and Oren Shibolet, MDHadassah University Hospital; Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91240, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-128-6-199803150-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In their otherwise excellent review of intravenous amiodarone for arrhythmia management [1], Desai and colleagues misquoted the first reference they cited for the comparison of amiodarone with propafenone in conversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation (reference 34 in their article, cited on page 297). This trial actually compared prophylactic amiodarone with placebo for the prevention of supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias in 77 patients recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery [2]. The investigators did not randomly assign patients to either propafenone or flecainide as stated by Desai and colleagues. Amiodarone and propafenone for conversion of atrial fibrillation or flutter ...References1. Desai AD, Chun S, Sung RJ. The role of intravenous amiodarone in the management of cardiac arrhythmias. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 127:294-303. Google Scholar2. Hohnloser SH, Meinertz T, Dammbacher T, Steiert K, Jahnchen E, Zehender M, et al. Electrocardiographic and antiarrhythmic effects of intravenous amiodarone: results of a prospective, placebo-controlled study. Am Heart J. 1991; 121:89-94. Google Scholar3. Larbuisson R, Venneman I, Stiels B. The efficacy and safety of intravenous propafenone versus intravenous amiodarone in the conversion of atrial fibrillation or flutter after cardiac surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 1996; 10:229-34. Google Scholar4. Fresco C, Proclemer A. Clinical challenge II. Management of recent onset atrial fibrillation. PAFIT-2 investigators. Eur Heart J. 1996; 17(Suppl C):41-7. Google Scholar5. Maisel WH, Kuntz KM, Reimold SC, Lee TH, Antman EM, Friedman PL, et al. Risk of initiating antiarrhythmic drug therapy for atrial fibrillation in patients admitted to a university hospital. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 127:281-4. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Hadassah University Hospital; Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91240, Israel PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 15 March 1998Volume 128, Issue 6Page: 505KeywordsAcute myocardial infarctionAdverse reactionsArrhythmiaAtrial fibrillationCoronary arteriesDrugsHeart rateRandomized trialsSurgeryTachycardia Issue Published: 15 March 1998 CopyrightCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...