Intravenous ibutilide is moderately effective for rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation and flutter, but carries a risk of excessive QT prolongation and torsade de pointes.
Is intravenous ibutilide effective and safe for the rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
Ibutilide is an effective intravenous option for rapid cardioversion of atrial fibrillation and flutter, but requires careful monitoring due to the risk of QT prolongation and torsade de pointes.
I butilide is an antiarrhythmic drug that was recently marketed for the rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.After intravenous administration, ibutilide is moderately effective in achieving prompt cardioversion to sinus rhythm, with greater efficacy in patients who have atrial flutter.Like other drugs that prolong ventricular repolarization, ibutilide administration carries a risk of excessive QT prolongation, or the acquired long-QT syndrome, with associated polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (torsade de pointes), necessitating careful patient selection and clinical monitoring during drug administration.
Katherine T. Murray (1998) conducted a review in Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. Ibutilide was evaluated on Prompt cardioversion to sinus rhythm. Intravenous ibutilide is moderately effective for rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation and flutter, but carries a risk of excessive QT prolongation and torsade de pointes.