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Long term efficacy of propafenone for prevention of atrial fibrillation
A E Kyles1, C J Murdock, J A Yeung-Lai-Wah
1Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Objective:
Propafenone, a class IC antiarrhythmic drug, has been successful in the treatment of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. This study retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of propafenone in the prevention of recurrent atrial fibrillation.
Design:
Propafenone was given to 81 patients (49 males and 32 females, mean age 61 +/- 16 years) with recurrent atrial fibrillation. The mean dose of propafenone was 701 +/- 235 mg. Patients were monitored for recurrent arrhythmias.
Main Results:
Long term follow-up over 30 +/- 1.7 months showed 31 patients (38%) remained on propafenone with complete or partial control of atrial fibrillation. The drug was stopped in 35 due to inefficacy, in 12 due to adverse effects, and in three due to desire for ablation therapy.
Conclusion:
Propafenone may be effective in some patients for long term prevention of atrial fibrillation, although efficacy may decrease over time.