title: Enalapril treatment and hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Experimental and clinical evidence suggests a preventive role for agiotensin-coverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on the development of atrial fibrillation. However, the effect of ACE inhibition on hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is not known. We sought to determine whether enalapril treatment reduced hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with LV dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective analysis of the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trial. Hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias were noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 192 hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias occurred in 158 patients during a follow-up period of 34 months. The time to first hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias or death was significantly lower in the enalapril group (P =.005). In a multivariate analysis adjusting for the presence of atrial fibrillation at study entry, enalapril treatment was associated with a reduction in the rate of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias or death (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.96; P =.007). The incidence of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias was 7.9 hospitalizations per 1000 patient-years of follow-up in the enalapril group, compared with 12.4 per 1000 patient-years in the placebo group (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85; P =.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Enalapril is associated with a decreased incidence of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with LV dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Tufts-New England Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiolgy, Boston, Mass, USA.
authors.forename: Alawi A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alsheikh-Ali
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rand
authors.forename: Marvin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Konstam
authors.forename: Munther K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Homoud
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Link
authors.forename: N A Mark
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Estes
authors.forename: Deeb N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: Amin M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al-Ahmad
mesh_terms: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004656:Enalapril / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D004656:Enalapril