Harry J G M Crijns1, Bob Weijs2, Anna-Meagan Fairley2, Thorsten Lewalter3, Aldo P Maggioni4, Alfonso Martín5, Piotr Ponikowski6, Mårten Rosenqvist7, Prashanthan Sanders8, Mauricio Scanavacca9, Lori D Bash10, François Chazelle11, Alexandra Bernhardt12, Anselm K Gitt12, Gregory Y H Lip13, Jean-Yves Le Heuzey14. 1. Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands. Electronic address: hjgm.crijns@mumc.nl. 2. Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands. 3. University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. 4. ANMCO Research Center, Florence Italy. 5. University Hospital Severo Ochoa, Madrid, Spain. 6. Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland. 7. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 8. Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia. 9. University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 10. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. 11. MSD France, Paris, France. 12. Institut für Herzinfarktforschung, Ludwigshafen, Germany. 13. University of Birmingham Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Department of Cardiology, City Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom. 14. Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, René Descartes University, Paris, France.
Abstract
AIMS: Electrical and pharmacological cardioversion (ECV, PCV) are important treatment options for symptomatic patients with recent onset atrial fibrillation (AF). RHYTHM-AF is an international registry of present-day cardioversion providing information that is not currently available on country differences and acute and long-term arrhythmia outcomes of ECV and PCV. METHODS AND RESULTS: 3940 patients were enrolled, of whom 75% underwent CV. All patients were followed for 2 months. There were large variations concerning mode of CV used, ECV being heterogeneous. A choice of PCV drug depended on the clinical patient profile. Sinus rhythm was restored in 89.7% of patients by ECV and in 69.1% after PCV. Among patients not undergoing CV during admission, 34% spontaneously converted to sinus rhythm within 24h. ECV was most successful in patients pretreated with antiarrhythmic drugs (mostly amiodarone). PCV was enhanced by class Ic antiarrhythmic drugs; conversion rate on amiodarone was similar to that seen with rate control drugs. Female patients and those with paroxysmal and first detected AF as well as those without previous ECV responded well to PCV. The median duration of hospital stay was 16.2 and 24.0 h for ECV and PCV patients, respectively. There were very few CV-related complications regardless of mode of CV. Chronic maintenance of sinus rhythm was enhanced in patients on chronic antiarrhythmic drugs, beta-blockers or inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system. CONCLUSIONS: Mode of CV varied significantly, but both PCV and ECV were safe and effective. Class Ic drugs were most effective conversion drugs, but amiodarone is used most frequently despite providing merely rate control rather than shorten time to conversion.
AIMS: Electrical and pharmacological cardioversion (ECV, PCV) are important treatment options for symptomatic patients with recent onset atrial fibrillation (AF). RHYTHM-AF is an international registry of present-day cardioversion providing information that is not currently available on country differences and acute and long-term arrhythmia outcomes of ECV and PCV. METHODS AND RESULTS: 3940 patients were enrolled, of whom 75% underwent CV. All patients were followed for 2 months. There were large variations concerning mode of CV used, ECV being heterogeneous. A choice of PCV drug depended on the clinical patient profile. Sinus rhythm was restored in 89.7% of patients by ECV and in 69.1% after PCV. Among patients not undergoing CV during admission, 34% spontaneously converted to sinus rhythm within 24h. ECV was most successful in patients pretreated with antiarrhythmic drugs (mostly amiodarone). PCV was enhanced by class Ic antiarrhythmic drugs; conversion rate on amiodarone was similar to that seen with rate control drugs. Female patients and those with paroxysmal and first detected AF as well as those without previous ECV responded well to PCV. The median duration of hospital stay was 16.2 and 24.0 h for ECV and PCV patients, respectively. There were very few CV-related complications regardless of mode of CV. Chronic maintenance of sinus rhythm was enhanced in patients on chronic antiarrhythmic drugs, beta-blockers or inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system. CONCLUSIONS: Mode of CV varied significantly, but both PCV and ECV were safe and effective. Class Ic drugs were most effective conversion drugs, but amiodarone is used most frequently despite providing merely rate control rather than shorten time to conversion.
Authors: Benjamin Adam Steinberg; Phillip Joel Schulte; Paul Hofmann; Mads Ersbøll; John Hunter Alexander; Kathleen Broderick-Forsgren; Kevin Joseph Anstrom; Christopher Bull Granger; Jonathan Paul Piccini; Eric Jose Velazquez; Bimal Ramesh Shah Journal: Am J Cardiol Date: 2015-02-18 Impact factor: 2.778
Authors: Paul Erne; Therese J Resink; Andrea Mueller; Michael Coslovsky; Richard Kobza; David Conen; Peter Bauer; Patricia Arand Journal: J Atr Fibrillation Date: 2017-06-30
Authors: Bob Weijs; Ione Limantoro; Tammo Delhaas; Cees B de Vos; Yuri Blaauw; Richard P M Houben; Sander Verheule; Ronny Pisters; Harry J G M Crijns Journal: Clin Cardiol Date: 2018-03-22 Impact factor: 2.882