title: [Perspectives and recommendations for the anti-arrhythmic treatment of atrial fibrillation: focus on dronedarone].
abstract: The European Society of Cardiology has recently published an update on the antiarrhythmic treatment of atrial fibrillation. The recommendations emphasize the safety aspect of the treatment. The first line antiarrhythmic medication should be chosen on the basis on a safer although possibly less efficacious profile while more potent but possibly more toxic agents should be reserved in case of treatment failure. Therefore, the use of amiodarone is reserved for cases who have failed treatment with class I agents or sotalol or have contraindications for their use. The recommendations put dronedarone, a new antiarrhythmic drug, as a first line treatment in the new therapeutic algorithm based on its safety profile and positive impact on morbi-mortality. This article presents the main properties of dronedarone based on the published results of randomized trials.
authors.affiliation: Service de Cardiologie, CHU de Liège, Belgique. pmelon@chu.ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mélon
mesh_terms: D000638:Amiodarone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077764:Dronedarone; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000077764:Dronedarone; D000638:Amiodarone