title: Dofetilide: a new pure class III antiarrhythmic agent.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although there are a variety of antiarrhythmic agents used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation of flutter, each drug has drawbacks, and room exists for new pharmacologic agents. Dofetilide, a pure class III agent, has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for therapy of these arrhythmias and is reviewed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data for dofetilide, published in full or in abstract form, were reviewed, concentrating on the properties related to its efficacy for the therapy of supraventricular arrhythmias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results from animal and human studies indicate that dofetilide, a renally excreted drug, has pure class III properties related to blockade of the delayed rectifier potassium current. It is effective for the therapy of atrial arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation and flutter, and has no demonstrable negative inotropic effect. Despite an incidence of torsades de pointes of approximately 2% in patients with impaired ventricular function, dofetilide exhibited no association with an increased mortality rate when studied in a large series of patients with a reduced ejection fraction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dofetilide's electrophysiologic and clinical profiles suggest that it will be safe and clinically useful for the termination and prevention of atrial fibrillation or flutter, even in patients with impaired ventricular function.
authors.affiliation: Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA. rfalk@bu.edu
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Decara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000188:drug therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004594:Electrophysiology; D018565:Food-Drug Interactions; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D010627:Phenethylamines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018754:Ventricular Dysfunction / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D010627:Phenethylamines; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D013449:Sulfonamides; C063533:dofetilide