title: Predictors of conversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation treated with vernakalant.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vernakalant is an available drug for the treatment of recent-onset atrial fibrillation, producing conversion between 55% and 87% of the patients treated. In this sense, little is known about the predictors of conversion with this agent. The aim of our study was to analyze the predictors of conversion in our 2-year experience using vernakalant for the treatment of recent-onset atrial fibrillation.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred twenty-one patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation without hemodynamic impairment received pharmacological treatment with vernakalant. Clinical variables, history of cardiovascular diseases, and echocardiographic data were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was 58.1 ± 13.9 years and 13.4% of patients had structural heart disease. Conversion to sinus rhythm was achieved in 84.5% of patients, and 46% required the second dose of vernakalant. After analyzing the predictors of conversion, the presence of structural heart disease was significantly larger in the group without conversion (35.3 vs 9.7%; P = 0.02). The mean ejection fraction in the group with conversion was 61.05 ± 5.7% versus 54.9 ± 8.4% in the group without conversion (P = 0.016). After dichotomizing the variable ejection fraction, patients with ejection fraction <55% had a lower conversion rate (P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, the absence of any kind of structural heart disease and preserved systolic function were associated with greater conversion rate with vernakalant.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Costabel
authors.forename: Florencia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lambardi
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aragón
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urdapilleta
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ariznavarreta
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vergara
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Conde
mesh_terms: D000840:Anisoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000840:Anisoles; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D011759:Pyrrolidines; C524581:vernakalant
keywords: predictors; recent-onset atrial fibrillation; vernakalant