[New antiarrhythmic drugs for therapy of atrial fibrillation: I. Ion channel blockers].

During the last ten years we have made substantial progress in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of atrial fibrillation. The high rate associated alterations in electrical and structural properties of the atria, referred to as atrial remodeling, promote the progression of atrial fibrillation. The development of new therapeutic approaches addresses three different directions: (i) prevention of atrial remodeling, especially of structural remodeling; (ii) increase of long-term efficacy of currently used drugs and improvement of their side-effect profile; and (iii) design of atria- and pathology-specific antiarrhythmic drugs without concomitant proarrhythmic effects in the ventricles. The current review outlines the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation and focuses on electrical remodeling. The properties of new antiarrhythmic drugs for atrial fibrillation are discussed in detail.