title: Contemporary real life cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: Results from the multinational RHYTHM-AF study.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  
  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.
  
  
  
  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.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands. Electronic address: hjgm.crijns@mumc.nl.
authors.forename: Harry J G M
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Crijns
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weijs
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anna-Meagan
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fairley
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lewalter
authors.affiliation: ANMCO Research Center, Florence Italy.
authors.forename: Aldo P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Maggioni
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Severo Ochoa, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.affiliation: Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ponikowski
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mårten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenqvist
authors.affiliation: Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Prashanthan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scanavacca
authors.affiliation: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Lori D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Bash
authors.affiliation: MSD France, Paris, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chazelle
authors.affiliation: Institut für Herzinfarktforschung, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.affiliation: Institut für Herzinfarktforschung, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Anselm K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gitt
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Department of Cardiology, City Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gregory Y H
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Lip
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, René Descartes University, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Le Heuzey
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Cardioversion; Rhythm control; Stroke