title: Antiarrhythmic drugs in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation: where are we?
abstract: In patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF), the hallmark of treatment has long been the use of antiarrhythmic drugs. The following strategies are available: a) any antiarrhythmic treatment; b) out-of-hospital episodic treatment ("pill-in-the-pocket" approach); c) prophylactic antiarrhythmic therapy; and d) hybrid therapy. The following patients with recurrent AF should not undergo any antiarrhythmic therapy: after the first AF episode; patients with rare, hemodynamically well-tolerated and short-lasting (a few hours) AF episodes; patients with perioperative AF, without history of recurrent AF; patients with AF during acute myocardial infarction or other acute diseases, without history of recurrent AF; and "holiday heart" syndrome. In patients with infrequent AF episodes (< 1 per month) and hemodynamically well-tolerated, but long enough to require emergency room intervention or hospitalization, a good treatment might be the "pill-in-the-pocket" approach, consisting of a single-dose oral ingestion of flecainide or propafenone at the time and place of palpitation onset. A recent Italian study has shown that this treatment is effective and safe. When AF episodes are frequent and/or hemodynamically badly tolerated, the treatment of choice is the prophylactic therapy with antiarrhythmic drugs. When these drugs fail (ineffective or not tolerated) a non-pharmacological treatment or a hybrid therapy may be indicated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology and Arrhythmologic Center, Civic Hospital, Cento (FE), Italy. p.alboni@ausl.fe.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alboni
authors.forename: Lorella
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gianfranchi
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pacchioni
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedaci
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D006801:Humans; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents